Gundam Gemini
by Crimson Arrow
Summary: An original story. An original universe. A familiar Gundam-inspired tale. My vision of a brand new Gundam anime featuring a female protagonist and antagonist, because I'm tired of waiting. Knowledge of Gundam is not required and anyone can read this. Fully summary inside.
1. Episode 01 - The Scarlet Wolf - Part A

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam.

Update: Story has been split into more chapters for your reading convenience.

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Summary:

_An original story. An original universe. A familiar Gundam-inspired tale._

_Amidst an intergalactic power struggle over the advanced relics of an ancient civilisation, the fates of two enemies intertwine, changing their destinies forever._

_Vega Aurelia, Lux ace and woman of mystery, finds an adversary worthy of her skills._  
_Laura Hartmann, Rem orphan-turned-pilot, makes the discovery of the century on her quest for vengeance._

_As the fighting intensifies, little do these women know that their rivalry will transform the balance of the war, unearthing mysteries and truths that will shake them to the very core._

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Hello, this is Crimson and this is my first Gundam fanfiction story.

I'm actually only what you might call a passing fan of Gundam. I saw Wing way back on Toonami before moving on to Seed (possibly my favourite, despite its flaws) and a long time passed until I tried Reconquista in G (one of the worst shows I've ever seen). Currently, I've kept up with all the Build series which are interesting in how they utilise past Gundam series by making the shows actually exist in that universe as a way of fan service and advertising, but I feel it's aimed at a younger audience (it's a half-hour of commercial brainwashing to ensure Bandai-Scamco and Sunrise's future ATMs).

Anyway, during all this time I waited patiently for a Gundam with a main-series-first female protagonist. When that never materialised, an idea began to stew in my head for years until I finally wrote it down on paper. At first it was difficult transposing what I imagined as a TV show into a novelised format, particularly describing mobile suits and space battles, but I persisted and the experience has been very fulfilling so far.

Lastly, I must give a big special thanks to my best friend LoneWulffe for all her help and encouragement. You're the best!

Ok, enough from me. I hope you enjoy the first episode of Gundam Gemini.

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Gundam Gemini

Episode One

The Scarlet Wolf

Part A

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Lemuria, the lost planet.

A barren, lifeless world of sprawling deserts and crumbling ruins, Lemuria was an innocuous yellow ball turning in the vastness of space. It had no discernible value, not in resources to plunder nor fertile land to colonise – yet humans searched for it. Dreamt of it. And when they finally found the lost planet… went to war over it.

"…What fools."

The sardonic voice belonged to a woman wearing a form-fitting black spacesuit, strapped and sitting in the confined darkness of a cockpit. Her gloved hands were wrapped around dual controls sticks at the end of her armrests and the glow of a large monitor was the only source of light in the windowless coffin. On-screen was the yellow planet, which reflected off the pilot's helmet and through the translucent image one could make out silver hair and handsome features – but not their eyes.

For their eyes remained hidden behind a mysterious white mask.

"Let's get one thing straight, Vega," a gruff voice despoiled the quiet sanctity of the cockpit, barking through the com embedded in her helmet. "You may have been a genius cadet back at the academy used to getting your way as House Aurelia's chief brat, but that means nothing here. This is a real battlefield ruled by death and mayhem, not one of your pretty little make-believe simulators and as such any numbskull attempts to be a hotshot will get you and everyone else killed. So, unless you want an early funeral, you will rein in your usual antics and obey orders to the letter – am I making myself clear, lieutenant?"

"Crystal clear, Captain Wallace," came the husky reply and, unbeknownst to her superior, a curl of the pilot's red lips.

The monitor cut from the image of Lemuria to the steel doors of a hangar bay, which slowly parted to reveal the real thing outside, floating against the backdrop of black space and twinkling stars. As the radiance of the lost planet illuminated the inside of the hangar with gold tones, the ominous shape of over half-a-dozen robotic figures came to light.

Known as mobile suits, they were the war machine of choice for the era; towering bipedal mechs with variable equipment, making them capable of great feats of power and agility. A single pilot of one could turn the tide of battle and the black Wargs of the Lux Empire were feared most of all.

"Ok, Warg team – fall out!"

At their captains order the Wargs' eyes glowed and they began launching in pairs, flung into space with the aid of catapults and rails. Vega was the last in line and braced as her cockpit shook and the hangar bay rushed past, until her Warg was floating above Lemuria in complete silence. Putting aside the feelings of awe and smallness the yellow planet aroused, the masked pilot pushed on her throttle and followed her comrades up.

As the squadron of Wargs climbed higher, the sleek black cruiser they had exited came into full view, one of a dozen in a line formation above the north pole of Lemuria. All flew the banner of the dark serpent and launched their own mobile suits until over a hundred Wargs were converged above the Lux fleet. They moved as one towards the equator and from the south pole the enemy did the same.

At first a speckled cluster of shimmering dots in the distance, they revealed themselves to be an endless wall of white battleships flying the flag of the snowy lion for the Rem Republic. They were twice the Lux fleet's number and the white Garm mobile suits amassed opposite the Wargs were almost three times their number. The two space fleets were set for a collision course over the atmosphere of Lemuria, between it and its battered moon, Lenos, where they would battle under the gaze of its giant crater.

"This is it! Remember your training! Remember you are proud pilots of LIRA!" Captain Wallace began rousing the troops with his prebattle speech, using the acronym for the Lux Imperial Army, and finished by raising his beamrifle above his Warg's head. "Glory to Lux!"

With that battle cry, hundreds of mobiles suits were sent rocketing forth towards the enemy on contrails of blue fire bursting from their foot and jetpack thrusters. The hordes of black Wargs and white Garms connected just as the beam cannons of the ships behind them fired, turning the battlefield into a sea of lights and destruction. While colossal red and blue beams criss-crossed below against the yellow deserts of Lemuria, disintegrating everything in their path, battle raged above as Vega followed her squadron in and engaged in direct combat with the enemy mobile suits.

The Wargs darted from point to point before pouncing on their prey with beamsabre or rifle in hand, using their superior speed to their advantage which made the mobile suits as deadly as their angled and warlike appearance. One on one, Rem's slower and more defensive Garms could not compare and the square-bodied suits struggled to hold the line at first. But where Rem trailed in technology, they made up for it in numbers and Vega watched as some of her comrades were surrounded by several Garms at once and skewered with beams.

No matter how many they shot down another wave of Garms came to replace them, hiding behind their blast shields as they fired a thick barrage of blue beams at the nimble Wargs. Black and white debris alike filled the battlefield and for a moment it looked as if Lux would be overwhelmed – exactly the moment Vega had been waiting for.

"Vega? Where are you going? Get back here!"

Captain Wallace bellowed into her ears, but the masked pilot simply muted the channel as she broke formation and headed straight into the fray. Almost immediately, a stray Garm showed up on her monitor, out of position and out of luck.

"Perfect…" she crooned.

Vega set her sights on the white target and pushed her throttle to the hilt, firing her rifle as her Warg hurtled forth on blazing blue thrusters. Hot red beams ripped through the unsuspecting Garm's chest and it detonated in spectacular fashion – and Vega flew straight into the explosion.

After a heart-stopping pause, she burst through the smoke and the heat had stripped away the Warg's black paint to expose its true finish.

A mobile suit the colour of scarlet.

The distinctive colour drew the attention of the enemy and a bombardment of lasers followed. The rain of blue fire would have shredded any other mobile suit to pieces, but Vega was undeterred – she flew straight into the storm and weaved through the beams with ease, before pointing her own rifle forward and firing off several blasts. With deadly aim, three Garms were transformed into balls of fire in rapid succession, shocking the others to attention as the red Warg charged right into their formation.

The speed of the scarlet blur, far beyond that of other Wargs, took the Garm pilots by surprise and when they realised the beast was coming it was too late. With a swing of its equally red beamsabre, Vega tore the closest white robot apart in an explosion of flying scrap metal, before moving on to the next. The Rem Defence Force scrambled to contain the enemy in their midst, but the weakness of their defensive strategy was laid bare – at this range they could not shoot for fear of friendly fire.

The masked pilot knew this all too well and grinned as she danced circles around them, carving a trail of destruction as she slashed and shot the lumbering mobile suits with precision until the entire squadron had been vanquished. By the time another wave of Garms arrived to take their place, it was too late. The hole in Rem's defences had been filled by a horde of jubilant Wargs rushing after their red comrade and the defensive formation crumbled from the inside out as LIRA wreaked havoc on the RDF.

"Vega, you blasted fool!" the feared roar of her captain was the first thing Vega heard when she reactivated her com. "Do you even know what you're doing?!"

"Making history, captain," she replied with barely contained excitement and made sure to open all her channels for her next words. "Rem's ships are defenceless! Follow me!"

Buoyed by her rallying cry, Vega was joined by the rest of her squadron as she spearheaded the charge towards Rem's unguarded battleships in her red Warg.

Built to be nothing more than giant floating cannons to battle from a safe distance, the titanic RDF warships had little means to fight back once the enemy got too close. The pack of Wargs flew right up to their white hulls, peppering it with red beams and a trail of explosions followed. Those that carried RPGs launched their payload into the sides of the ships and fire erupted out the other end. Vega herself targeted the cannons, chancing death by flying into their wide openings and firing her rifle right down the middle, causing them to misfire and the ships were destroyed in an explosive chain reaction.

When the Garms finally regrouped and returned to defend the battleships, eight were already smoking wrecks and the Wargs were long gone. A retreat was ordered on both sides and the fleets withdrew back to their respective poles of yellow Lemuria, leaving another graveyard of devastated ships and mobiles suits for junkers to scavenge.

"Vega! What the hell did I tell you about your antics and following orders?! I should have you thrown out of LIRA and shipped back to Lux in a tiny box!" Captain Wallace chastised the pilot with deafening fury on their way back to the ship, but an unrepentant Vega only smiled and her superior eventually ran out of steam. "…God damn it, who am I kidding? They'll probably give you a medal for this."

"I couldn't have done it without you, captain," Vega teased. "Your mentorship these past few months has been invaluable. I hope you can continue to guide me into the future."

"The future? Oh gods, no," he sounded appalled at the very thought. "Vega, you've finally done what Rem, LIRA and a loving family could never do – I'm retiring."

"Captain! I will sincerely miss you."

"I wish I could say the feeling was mutual, lieutenant," Wallace huffed, before his stern tone softened. "With pilots like you, the future of LIRA should be in capable hands… but Godspeed to whoever your new commanding officer is."

Suppressing her urge to chuckle, Vega instead turned her attention to the glow of the planet on her monitor. Once again, the battle for Lemuria had been left without a victor, but the War of the Descendants, as it was also known, would rage on. Catching sight of her own reflection off the screen, the pilot stared into her mask and spoke under her breath.

"I'm just getting started…"

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"_Earlier today the Rem Defence Force faced off against the Lux Imperial Army over the atmosphere of Lemuria, in what was the third major battle for the planet since its rediscovery ten years ago."_

In a sunlit classroom, the crisp voice of a female news anchor reverberated throughout the room from a TV attached to the ceiling. Below it, crowded around the desks and chairs with their eyes glued to the events on-screen, were five girls. They wore navy blue uniforms with the lion crest, marking them as military cadets, and each were labelled with the words 'Rem Military Academy'.

"_Official reports say the fighting was fierce with major casualties on both sides, but the exact number of RDF casualties has yet to be released by the Ministry of Defence. Despite the government having been confident of their victory this time, there was once again no clear victor to the battle which was being hailed as the end to the Lemurian Conflict. Privately, it seems many officials are blaming a lone enemy mobile suit which upended their entire strategy and a video has even emerged of the mobile suit in question."_

The report cut to grainy footage of several white Garms firing upon an unseen enemy before a red blur darted across the screen, cutting down the mobile suits in succession. Three of the girls in the classroom jumped out of their seats.

"Did you see that?" asked one with short black-hair, her jaw hanging wide open.

"That thing was twice as fast as a normal Warg," a girl with pink twin-tails nodded and gritted her perfect teeth. "You can't achieve that with modification alone."

"A technopath… a powerful one," said another girl with long blonde hair who had remained seated and calm.

"More powerful than Laura? No way…" the fourth girl covered her mouth in fear and turned her green eyes towards the cadet with short golden hair standing in the middle.

The final girl left her desk and marched right under the television screen, her intense purple eyes never having left the red Warg, and the report froze on the enemy mobile suit.

"_People within the military are already calling the pilot of this mobile suit the Scarlet Wolf and... yes? Yes, we have a report just in: even LIRA is hailing the pilot as their ace and we now have their identity – the Scarlet Wolf is a female pilot named Vega Aurelia."_

The girl with purple eyes squeezed her fists and whispered under her breath.

"Vega Aurelia…"

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_FIVE YEARS LATER._

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"_This month marks the fifteenth year since the Lemurian Conflict began and for Rem's young people it is a war that has been going on their entire lives. In light of this, I thought it would be prudent to look back on its origins, but first we must go back three centuries…"_

A woman's digitised voice echoed throughout a tiny cabin with clarity and mingled with the sounds of gentle humming. The source of the humming was a young girl with tawny brown hair who sat on the bottom bunk of a double decker bed, one of three squeezed into the tight space. With eager green eyes, she flipped through a pack of cards while listening to the radio that floated through the air as the elegant voice of the host continued.

"_Three centuries ago, Lemuria was home to an advanced, space-faring civilisation said to possess technology beyond our wildest imaginations. But one day disaster struck – an event known only as the Lemurian Cataclysm forced its inhabitants to flee the planet on giant arks. We have no record of what the Cataclysm was exactly – all records of the time have been mysteriously redacted – but we now know it turned the once vibrant planet into a lifeless wasteland."_

There was a hydraulic hiss and the metal door to the cabin slid open, allowing a slender young woman to float through. Her short blond locks drifted through the air as she passed, framing her sharp but elegant features, including a pair of piercing purple eyes. The other girl stopped her humming and her gaze lit up when she saw who it was.

"Laura!"

"Hey, Tully," Laura greeted the slighter girl and noticed the radio floating nearby. "Rem National again?"

"They're talking about Lemuria," Tully smiled, before returning her attention to her cards. "Where are the others?"

"Probably still in the hangar bay. I finished my maintenance ages ago!" the blonde flopped down on the bed beside her bunkmate and sighed with exhaustion. As she did, a simple amethyst necklace in the shape of a disc escaped from the collar of her uniform and hung in the air.

"Well, we're not all geniuses like you, Laura Hartmann," Tully laughed, and the pair sat on the bed together, listening as the radio floated by again.

"_There were four arks that abandoned Lemuria that fateful day: the Serpent would go on to found the Lux Empire, the Dragon populated many planets which would eventually form the Zodiac Union, and the Lion, as you know, went on to establish our Rem Republic. However, the fate of the final ark, the Phoenix, still remains a mystery to this day."_

"Laura Hartmann!"

Tully and Laura heard the boisterous voice long before the door even opened and a flurry of pink hair burst into the room. The girl floating before them could have been an idol with her brilliant blue eyes and flowing tresses, which were tied into two long tails on each side of her head, but the words coming out of her lips were far from ladylike.

"Don't think you've won just… just because you're a little faster… Laura Hartmann!" the newcomer panted out in between heavy breaths and pointed an indignant finger at the other girl. She'd obviously rushed all the way over from the hanger bay and her cheeks were flushed like two tomatoes.

"Whatever you say, Freya," Laura threw her hands up in the air and relented, before allowing a smirk to escape her lips. "…But I'm still faster."

"Why, you…!"

"Stop it, you two," Tully interjected without batting an eyelid and it obviously wasn't the first time she had acted as peacemaker. "Why don't we just settle down and listen to some Rem National while we wait for the others?"

Freya grumbled, but kicked off the floor and onto the top bunk of the bed opposite, where she crossed her arms and tossed her fiery hair.

"Fine! Enjoy the number one spot while you can, Laura – one of these days I'm going to knock you off your perch."

Tully sighed, but when she saw Laura's mischievous purple eyes, they both broke out into smiles and the voice from the radio filled the cabin once more.

"_For three hundred years the descendants of the arks had no contact as their civilisations developed separately, but all had the same dream – to find lost Lemuria and learn the truth of the catastrophe. In 289AC, Rem space explorers finally found the lost planet and an expedition was sent the following year. They were met with an inhospitable landscape of deserts and ruined cities, the remnants left behind by the great catastrophe that had destroyed Lemuria. But, as they soon discovered, they were not alone on the dead planet."_

The hiss of the cabin door wheezing open interrupted the radio again and this time an angel graced the room. With a tall physique, long limbs and straight blonde hair that stretched behind her like a gold silken banner, the beauty could have been a model with her perfect features. As she glided forward with an air of grace, her flawless white skin positively glowed and it wouldn't surprise the others if feathered wings sprouted from her back.

"What took you so long, Alice?" Freya asked as the angel passed her by. Alice smiled, a rarity which entailed a faint tug at the corners of her pink lips, and let out a melodious titter.

"I was just staring at the burly men of the maintenance crew… before I knew it so much time had passed," she admitted, closing her eyes and clasping her hands together as if a maiden in prayer.

"Oh, don't tell me…"

"It has to be that…"

Both Laura and Freya nodded their heads in agreement and Alice spun around, opening her eyes to reveal striking amber orbs almost the colour of gold.

"They must be a couple, right? After working and sweating their days together, surely love must have blossomed before one night they gave in to their passion and..."

Alice trailed off into her own world, but the others were left unfazed and merely sighed.

"Of course, it's that…" Tully laughed.

"If only the male crew knew just what their perfect angel fantasises about them doing," said Laura.

"I wouldn't mind that," said Alice, who returned to being cool and expressionless as she sunk into the bottom bunk at the back of the cabin. "Just the thought of their shocked faces gives me joy."

"You're a weird one, you know that?" Freya whispered, raising a finely chiselled eyebrow at the cool beauty before the voice on the radio garnered their attention.

"_By pure coincidence the Lux Empire had also rediscovered Lemuria and had sent an expedition to the planet at the very same time as Rem. And so it was that fifteen years ago, on the sands of their ancestral home, did the descendants of the Lion and Serpent meet for the first time. But what should have been cause for celebration quickly escalated into the fires of a war that has continued to this day. What is it about Lemuria that fuels this conflict? What could both sides possibly want from a barren world, former home though it may be? The answer is relics."_

"I'm exhausted!"

The cabin door opened for the fourth time and a girl floated in headfirst, groaning at the ceiling as she did. Her black hair was cropped short, giving her a boyish look and, unlike the others who wore white uniforms, she wore grey overalls.

"Junko? What happened to you?" Laura asked, watching as the girl floated by like a corpse.

"Flyboys…" she muttered with disgust, causing the others to groan with her.

"Those sexist pigs! It's high time someone made roast pork out of them!" Freya growled and shook her fist.

"That's an insult to pigs, Freya – but I agree with your sentiment," Alice remarked, keeping her poker face.

"Well, you'll be pleased to know I showed them in the end," Junko's dark eyes curled with glee. "I recalibrated those Garms in record time! Never underestimate a mobile suit fanatic, jerks!"

"Wow!" Tully clapped her hands together and Junko puffed out her chest, before the brunette stopped and sighed. "Why are they so mean? Even though we're all on the same side."

"It's because they look down on women, Tully," a furious Freya explained, raising her voice. "They think we can't do the same job as them!"

"The idea that female pilots could be as good or better than them no doubt threatens their fragile masculinity," Alice added her calm analysis. "It's quite pathetic really."

"And just because they were aboard the Baselard first they think can boss us around and cram all of us into this tiny cabin," Laura's voice dripped with anger, before her lips curved into a cocky grin. "But we'll show them, won't we? When Operation Arrowhead starts we're going to steal all glory and leave them in our dust!"

"You said it, girl! Show them the title of the academy's most talented graduates ever isn't just for show!" Junko cheered and pumped her fist as she reached Alice's bunk and lay down next to her.

"I promise I won't slow you down!" Tully quickly spoke up, although her quivering voice didn't sound quite so sure of itself. "I'm just so glad we were assigned to the same ship… and the same quarters too."

"Well, that's one bright side to the harassment. A mechanic like me would never get to bunk with pilots otherwise," Junko nodded.

"It's just like back in Libra Orphanage," Tully continued and looked at her friends in turn with her gentle green eyes. "I really am so happy the five of us get to stay together…"

The other girls smiled and Tully turned away embarrassed, glancing instead at the photo stuck above her bunk. It showed the five of them in their blue academy uniforms just after graduation, standing in front of a church with an older woman and several children.

"We'll have so much to tell the matron and the children when we get back," Laura said and Tully nodded, and they returned to listening to the program on the radio.

"_Relics are the incredibly advanced technology or research left behind by the Lemurians, whether as preserved machines or data stored within mysterious purple cubes. With them we have discovered cures for diseases, ways to harness new forms of energy, blueprints for engines capable of advanced space travel, and countless other innovations. Their value and their effect on our civilisations cannot be understated and that is the reason why Lux and Rem each covet Lemuria and its treasures enough to wage all-out war."_

"So, it's a just a family feud over the inheritance?" asked Freya, whilst checking her pink nails and looking none too impressed.

"Basically," said Junko, before her brown eyes bulged. "I'd love to get a look at a relic up close… imagine, a mobile suit relic!"

"They say only technopaths can access the information on relics," said Alice, looking around the room. "In which case, we are all in good stead."

"It's weird. Technopaths are meant to be rare, but there are five of them in this room alone," Laura pointed out. "A lot seem to come from Libra Orphanage too."

"Isn't it just a coincidence?" Freya continued to study her nails even as she dismissed the idea.

"I think it's sad," Tully interrupted, who had been deep in thought and missed the entire conversation. "All that advanced technology we could be using for good and all we humans can do is fight over it…"

"Well, that's what you get when warmongers like the Lux Empire are involved. They started it, didn't they?" said Freya.

"Supposedly they have to do everything their precious emperor commands," said Alice. "Even if they don't want to."

"The whole empire at the bidding of one old man? They must be crazy," gasped Laura.

"It must be a planet of flyboys," said Junko, to which they all groaned again.

"_Furthermore, relics have only helped to advance the weapons of war on both sides, leading to not an arms race, but a relics race for technological superiority. This culminates in a major space battle almost every five years as the two powers test one another but has resulted in a stalemate each time. With the recent reports of activity in the RDF and LIRA's forces, the fourth battle is expected to begin very soon."_

"Not just soon – we're actually there," said Junko, ignoring the fact the speaker couldn't hear her. "Even if we're safely at the back of the fleet."

"Perhaps it's for the best," said Alice. "Although I'd hoped our first real battle experience was something less daunting."

"Turn that thing off, Tully. A history lesson isn't going to help us once the battle starts," said Freya and the girl complied, silencing the voice from the radio with a touch.

"Hey, are those new cards?" Laura asked, finally taking notice of the deck in Tully's hands.

"Yep," the girl smiled with glee and showed them off. "I had them specially ordered."

"Tarot cards, again?" Freya peered down from her perch and sighed. "I'll never understand how you can believe that hocus pocus…"

"Says the person who asked for fortunes almost every day at the academy," Laura goaded, eliciting a sharp humph from her pink-haired rival.

"It is surprising how accurate Tully is sometimes," said Alice, just as Junko floated over to Tully's bedpost.

"Whoa! Are those electromagnetic? That's amazing!" the mechanic exclaimed, looking over Tully's shoulder.

"They're made especially for technopaths. Watch…"

Tully reached for the side of her bunk and pulled out a metal panel with locking stilts that propped it up into a make-shift table. Placing the deck on the steel surface, she held it down with her index finger before lifting it off and the others chorused with wonder as it stayed in place.

"See? Like this, I can still play with them in space," Tully boasted and began sliding cards off the top of the pile and lining them up on the table, demagnetising and magnetising them in place with a touch of her technopathic finger. "With a bit of practice, even a weak technopath like me can do it."

"You're not weak, Tully," Laura chided her, and the others agreed.

"You passed the exam like everyone else," Alice reminded the brunette.

"Don't belittle yourself, Tully – all technopaths look weak when compared to these monsters!" Junko comforted her by pointing at Laura and Freya, causing both to bark at her in anger.

"Well, technopathic strength aside, we're a team," Freya cleared her throat and reminded them. "What we can't do alone, we do together, and when the five of us are together we can accomplish anything…"

The starlet paused and her cheeks flushed when she realised what she was saying.

"In… In other words… we need you, Tully," she finished with a whimper.

"Oh, Freya... thank you," Tully wiped tears from her eyes and flashed her brightest smile, before finishing the embarrassed girl off. "…I love you too."

Like a boiling kettle, steam whistled from Freya's ear as her face turned as pink as her hair and she covered it up with her hands.

"Wow… you're the last person I thought I would hear use the word 'team'…" said Laura, her mouth agape.

"Oh, shut up!" Freya shouted, still hiding behind her hands.

When everyone's laugher had died down and Freya's complexion returned to normal, Laura's purple eyes gazed at Tully with excitement.

"Hey, tell my fortune, Tully!"

"Before the battle?" the smaller girl asked, frowning.

"Yeah, tell us! Maybe the cards will have something important to say?" Junko joined in with Laura's excitement.

"I'm interested too," Alice nodded.

"Go on… you know you want to," said Freya, reversing Tully's frown.

"Oh fine…" she smiled and began shuffling the deck before magnetising it to the table again. "Ask your question, Laura."

"I want to know the future – does Operation Arrowhead succeed?"

Tully removed cards from the top of the deck and placed them face down until there were a row of three. Flipping the first card over revealed a fearless woman patting the head of a lion.

"Strength," Tully announced. "It symbolises bravery and action."

"Sounds like Laura," said Junko.

"When the fighting starts you will be thrust into the heat of battle," Tully closed her eyes and interpreted the energy flowing in the air. "But despite it being your first battle, you will acquit yourself well with your courage and skill and should have nothing to fear."

"Of course – I'll be fighting alongside you, after all," Freya boasted with a cheeky grin.

Tully flipped over the second card and it showed a warrior riding a gold chariot – except it was upside down.

"The Chariot reversed," Tully explained, frowning. "It represents failure and frustration."

"That doesn't bode well," Alice stated the obvious.

"During the battle, I sense you will be tested… your life may even be in danger," Tully continued, her brow furrowing with alarm. "If that should happen, it may be better to retreat than continue forward."

"You're saying I should run away?" asked Laura.

"Wait, so Operation Arrowhead is a failure after all?" said Junko.

"I don't know… I can only speak about Laura's future."

"Well, there's still one card left," Freya pointed out. "Isn't that usually the solution?"

"Perhaps it will tell us how to avoid this dire future," Alice agreed, leaning forward.

Tully's fingers rested on the final card – but before she could turn it over the cabin was bathed in angry red light and a siren screamed into their ears.

"_Battle stations! All hands report to battle stations!"  
_The intercom blasted out their orders and the girls immediately went for the door as their training kicked in.

"Are we under attack? It's too early!" Freya shouted over the noise and held the door open.

"Whatever the case, Operation Arrowhead is well and truly underway now," said Alice.

"Good luck, everyone! Please stay safe," Junko pleaded and looked at her friends in turn before floating out, leaving only Laura and Tully in the room.

"Come on, Tully, let's go!" Laura tucked her necklace back in her uniform and paused at the door, calling after her friend who was still sitting on her bunk. She was staring at a tarot card in her hand, almost mesmerised. "What is it?"

"It's nothing," Tully replied, quickly putting the card back on top of the deck and jumping up. "I'm ready."

Laura patted her on the back as she passed and went after her, leaving the door to close behind them with a long hiss.


	2. Episode 01 - The Scarlet Wolf - Part B

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam.

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Gundam Gemini

Episode One

The Scarlet Wolf

Part B

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After changing into their form-fitting white spacesuits and helmets first, the four pilots took the elevator down to the hangar bay to find it in complete chaos. Orders were being barked over one another and the mechanics and crew scurried to follow them as the Baselard readied for battle. Of the dozen Garm mobile suits on board, eight were already missing, leaving four towering white suits for each of the girls to leap and float towards. Once inside the cockpit of her Garm, Laura activated the power and wasted no time opening her com system first.

"Bridge, this is Garm Team Two reporting. What's the situation?" the blonde asked, even as she flipped her controls and checked her instruments. Freya, Alice and Tully linked their coms so they could listen in and their faces popped up on the monitor.

"LIRA mobile suits detected to the rear of the fleet. Garm Team One has already engaged," the operator answered.

"Flyboys are already out there?" Freya clicked her tongue. "They're going to steal all the glory!"

"Wait, how did LIRA get behind the fleet?" asked Alice.

"We don't know. Extreme caution is advised," a deep voice took over from the operator and an old man with a thick white beard appeared on screen. A white cap rested on his head, indicating his rank as the ship's captain. "Operation Arrowhead will still proceed as planned. Meanwhile, your orders are to defend the Baselard."

"Yes, captain!" the pilots responded as one.

"This will be your first battle, but I'm expecting great things of the academy's top graduates. Just remember your training and never underestimate the enemy."

"Understood, Captain Turner," said Laura and the captain signed off.

"Team Two, you are cleared for take-off!" Junko's familiar voice joined them, only to be followed by a series of rumblings that rocked the Baselard.

"What was that?" Tully cried, looking around her.

"I think we might have to go and save Flyboys' butts," said Laura, who thumbed her necklace through her suit as her Garm was positioned onto the launch pad. "This is Laura Hartmann, taking off!"

The catapult propelled her Garm down the runway on blazing sparks, pushing Laura back in her seat as the tunnel on her monitor rushed past until the screen went dark. The mobile suit left the rails and drifted out of the Baselard into starry space, where it floated for a moment before Laura engaged her thrusters and blue fire erupted from her Garm's feet and back, transforming the mobile suit into a white blur against the stars.

Three more Garms followed and Team Two circled the Baselard, one of scores of battleship class vessels of the RDF fleet which were spread out in a box formation. Looking down the wing of the formation, the girls saw lights and explosions as their allies engaged with the enemy. Below, in the distance, the yellow glow of Lemuria was a constant and silent witness.

"Where's the enemy?" Tully asked aloud, her soft voice frantic.

"And where's flyboys?" Laura demanded, opening her com. "Team One, come in. Team One, do you read?"

"Uh, Laura… I think I found flyboys," Freya interrupted, and shared a live-video feed of the burnt-out wrecks that were once Garms floating in space.

"How horrible…" Tully gasped.

"Enemies incoming!" Alice alerted them and their radars lit up with moving red dots. "Wargs, four of them."

"Ok, let's do this like we trained – Freya, Alice, go left. Tully and I will go right," Laura ordered and gripped her controls tight. "Let's go, Team Two!"

The others shouted with her in unison and their Garms rocketed away in blue-lit pairs. Within moments they could see the moving black shapes of the enemy Wargs surging towards them on azure contrails, no longer the blinking dots on their radar and all too real. Tully felt her breath shortening before she willed it steady and copied the others in raising her Garm's beam rifle past her shield. Three red circles appeared on the monitor and slowly converged on the moving target until the circles became one with a high-pitched tone. Tully pulled the trigger.

Blue and red beams lit the small section of space simultaneously as the Garms fired volley after volley and the Wargs returned the favour. Hot lasers whizzed past Tully's Garm or were absorbed by her blast shield and the tremors she felt with each hit made her adrenaline pump. The Wargs weren't like the ones in the simulator at all – they were faster, more aggressive and were piloted by humans.

The intervals between volleys were getting shorter. They were getting closer. Tully clenched her teeth as a feeling of dread sunk in. It was kill or be killed.

"Now!" Laura ordered, just as the Wargs were upon them.

Freya and Laura broke away in a burst of speed, maxing out their thrusters and flanking the enemy. Now it was LIRA's turn to be surprised as the two Garms closed in on them in an instant, threatening them with crossfire from the front and side. Junko's genius when it came to tinkering with mobile suits and the orphans' superior technopathic talents would be their downfall.

"Got you!" Laura shouted, successfully getting behind a Warg and firing. The beam made a clean hole through its back and out its chest, before the black mobile suit exploded into a thousand pieces that ricocheted off Laura's shield. Not wanting to be outdone, Freya drove her Garm forward.

"Don't underestimate me!" she cried, ramming the opposing Warg with her shield. As they careened into space together, she jammed the point of her rifle into the body of the Warg and fired at point blank several times, before breaking away from the explosion. As she did another Warg took the opportunity to creep behind her, only to be shot through by a third party.

"Not on my watch," said Alice, watching the Warg explode through the scope of her smoking barrel. "Tully, the last one is yours!"

Tully trained her sights down on the remaining Warg and fired relentlessly, but the black mobile suit dodged and weaved every beam as it charged straight at her. Beads of sweat were forming on the slight girl's forehead and as she squeezed the trigger faster and faster panic began to set in. Suddenly the Warg was right in front of her, close enough to see the reflection of her Garm's white form in its shiny black armour firing its rifle with abandon.

Instinctively, Tully slammed on her reverse thrusters, but in her panic only half activated and her Garm bent backwards instead. The Warg flew overhead and with Tully still pulling the trigger, it was peppered with holes.

Tully screamed as the explosion sent her Garm tumbling into space, but training took over and she righted the machine in time to see Laura fly to her side.

"Tully! Are you ok?"

The girl heard Laura over the com, but she couldn't answer – her thin frame was bent over her knees as she panted for precious oxygen. When she finally regained her breath without vomiting into her helmet, Tully answered.

"…I'm fine," she croaked, shaking the image of her brush with death from her mind. "That was too close for comfort…"

"See, what did I tell you?" Freya's cocky voice assaulted her ears and her pleased visage appeared on the monitor. "The four of us are unbeatable!"

"Indeed, considering two Garms are shot down for every Warg, this is quite an achievement," said Alice, and the blonde's calm portrait appeared next, but their celebration was marred by more flashing red dots on the radar. "Two more incoming!"

"I have them!" shouted Laura, blasting off before the others could even react and they were left to watch open-mouthed as her Garm spiralled above them into the hot beam-fire of the approaching Wargs. She weaved through the lasers effortlessly before lining up her own rifle in one motion and pulling the trigger, sending a single blue shot through the first Warg's chest. Without dropping her speed, Laura arced her Garm around the explosion and into the second Warg's blind spot, activating her beamsabre at the last moment so that it sliced through its torso and the two halves exploded while she flew back to her friends.

"Hey! Leave some for us, show-off!" Freya hailed Laura when they caught up to her, but even she couldn't entirely hide the awe in her voice.

"That was incredible, Laura…" Tully whispered. "It's like you were made for this."

"I just did what came naturally…" Laura replied with modesty, before shaking her head. "But forget that – did anyone see where those two came from?"

"Negative," said Alice as she performed a scan in her cockpit. "We should be cautious and expect more."

"Alright, let's head back to the Baselard. We can–"

Laura froze and something like electricity shot up her spine which straightened with alarm. The technopath couldn't explain it; nothing like this had ever happened before and it had only lasted for a split-second – but suddenly she could feel someone else's presence. They were so close she could sense them.

Instinct took over and Laura jerked her Garm around in time to see a flash of red. She raised her shield and the next moment was one she would never forget.

A crimson mobile suit was pushing against her blast shield with its equally red beamsabre, the two grinding close enough for its demonic head to fill Laura's trembling monitor. This was no Warg – it was even sleeker and burned with fiery red exhaust from its back. Everything about it shouted an aura as deadly as the bloodied coat it wore. Laura lips curled into a dangerous smile.

The pilot could only be one person.

"No way…!"

"That's…"

"The Scarlet Wolf…" Tully finished for Freya and Alice, the three of them shaking with a mixture of excitement and fear.

"…Vega Aurelia!" Laura shouted and pushed her throttle to the hilt, forcing her Garm past the red mobile suit before swinging around and chasing it through space.

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* * *

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"Impressive."

Within the tiny confines of a black cockpit, a woman's voice praised the white Garm on the monitor as it fired its rifle at the screen repeatedly. The owner of the voice barely batted an eyelid and avoided the blue beams with deft movements of her control stick and a smile formed behind the visor of her helmet. Wisps of silver hair framed her noble features but a white mask hid her eyes from sight, the signature accessory of Vega Aurelia, LIRA's ace pilot.

"I see your Garm has been modified to be lighter and faster, but that alone cannot explain this remarkable performance," Vega commented aloud to herself, before she slammed on her reverse thrusters and somehow manoeuvred behind her surprised opponent with ease. "No, I imagine you must be a technopath of some talent."

The Scarlet Wolf unleashed a spray of red beams from her rifle and the Garm pilot did not disappoint. They barrel-rolled with perfect timing, twisting in mid-spin to face backwards and the Garm returned fire while upside down. Another smile cracked Vega's red lips, particularly when she opened up her thrusters and boosted under the Garm so that she was behind it again.

"I'll give you full marks for finesse and execution, but your experience has been found somewhat wanting," said Vega, sticking to the Garm's rear of dazzling blue thrusters as it tried every manner of manoeuvre to shake the Scarlet Wolf to no avail. "You underestimate the speed and power of my Fenrir, prototype though it may be."

With a steady hand, the ace centred the Garm on the monitor until her targeting reticules converged and turned red.

"A shame really," she whispered, wrapping her finger around the trigger.

But before Vega could squeeze it, her radar went off and she found herself veering to avoid enemy fire, allowing her prey to escape. In its place two white mobiles suits swooped in, putting themselves between their comrade and the Scarlet Wolf, who found herself chuckling.

"How gallant," she remarked, guiding her Fenrir into a spiral to avoid the pair's rain of blue beams. "And interesting – not one, but three who can keep up with my Fenrir. But how long will you last, I wonder?"

With a whirl of her control stick in one hand and a sound grip on the throttle in the other, Vega transformed from defence to offence like a switch-knife. She charged forward and fired off several red beams, shocking the Garms with her precision and forcing them to hide behind their shields. The rifle of the nearest one was hit and burst into scrap.

The Scarlet Wolf smelt blood, switched to her beamsabre and closed in. The Garm rushed to meet her, attempting to ram the Fenrir with its shield. Bold but brash, thought Vega. She kicked the shield aside on impact before quickly thrusting backwards, correctly anticipating the blue beamsabre that lunged for her cockpit. It pierced only black vacuum, allowing LIRA's ace to slice the arm clean off and the Garm was sent into a frantic retreat. So they at least knew when to run away, Vega smirked, and raised her rifle to finish it off, but made a rapid thrust sideways instead at the first sign of danger.

Blue beams scorched past, just missing the Fenrir, and the Garm in the distance trained the barrel of their long rifle down on the red mobile suit again. Patient and cunning, thought Vega, marvelling at how the pilot had flanked her so quietly, waiting for just the right shot while their partner took the brunt of the Scarlet Wolf's fangs. Their aim at this distance was noteworthy as well, but two could play at that. Vega fired back in the midst of evasive manoeuvres, striking the Garm's blast shield as it took cover before aiming at its unprotected feet. One was severed, sending the white mobile suit spinning. The next shot would have ended it – but again Vega was thwarted.

Enemy fire from behind distracted her aim and the ace whipped her gun around instead to find a lone Garm attacking her. Something told Vega the pilot was not as talented as the other three; their shots were spread too wide and their piloting was too straightforward. They were either brave or foolish for facing the Scarlet Wolf alone. As expected, a few blasts from her rifle were enough for the Garm to falter and cower behind its shield, giving Vega ample time to close in with her beamsabre.

Only for another Garm to slip out from behind the first with guns blazing. For once the Scarlet Wolf was stunned and Vega took a sharp intake of breath, before jerking her trigger. The rifles of both mobile suits shattered simultaneously, but they did not falter and charged straight into one another with beamsabres drawn. When the red and blue swords met there was a mighty crash of sparks and shimmering light. As they wrestled for dominance, Vega's lungs finally exhaled and her lips curled into a smile.

"You again," she said, recognising the Garm on her monitor as that of the most talented pilot. "That was some excellent teamwork… but I won't underestimate you or your friends a second time."

"Major Aurelia," a voice interrupted her musings and another LIRA pilot appeared on screen. "The next stage of the operation is ready to proceed."

"Thank you, Ursula, but you'll have to lead the strike in my place," Vega replied, finding time to speak even as she struggled with her opponent. "I have unfinished business here."

"Major?"

"Don't fret," the Scarlet Wolf assured her subordinate, who saw her commander only had eyes for whatever was on her monitor. "I'm done playing with my food…"

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* * *

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"Laura!"

Tully's cries over the com were a distant voice in Laura's mind. She was struggling to contain a flood of emotions. Fear and excitement. Disbelief and awe. The scarlet mobile suit on her monitor forced its neon beamsabre even closer and the technopath pushed her own back in kind, feeling the steam of hot perspiration in her space suit as she gripped her controls.

So this was Vega Aurelia. Ever since Laura had learnt of her existence five years ago, the Scarlet Wolf had awakened something within her – a single-minded obsession to be the first to defeat her. The reports and rumours over the years had extolled her skill and daring, but the proud and unrivalled young pilot Laura had been stubbornly refused to believe them. They had told her she was the best – that she was a future ace. How could anyone be her equal?

But now she knew the truth. Vega Aurelia was her equal and more. How else could someone pilot a mobile suit so confidently without a single wasted thrust? Or handle a rifle so accurately even in the midst of a high-speed dogfight? Even if you took away that high-tech red mobile suit, those uncanny technopathic reaction times had truly earned her the moniker of the Scarlet Wolf.

Laura Hartmann had finally met her match – and she had never felt more alive.

"Laura! Get out of there!" Tully's voice finally registered with the blonde pilot.

"No! I've got this!" she managed to reply through gritted teeth.

"Don't, Laura!" Freya tried to convince her next. "Even the four of us together wasn't enough!"

"More bad news," Alice interrupted, and the edge of their radars crowded with beeping red dots. "Eight more Wargs incoming – it's the Scarlet Wolf's pack!"

It was well known the Wargs that flew with Vega Aurelia were her own personal squadron known as the Space Wolves – handpicked pilots that were a cut above regular LIRA pilots. They would not be as easy as the previous Wargs they had fought, especially with the conditions Freya and Alice's Garms were in. Things just had to go from bad to worse, Laura groaned.

"Tully! Take Freya and Alice and get back to the Baselard! You can hold the Wargs off there!" she barked, communicating her hastily formed plan.

"And you?" Tully asked.

"I'll deal with Vega Aurelia!"

"But you can't!"

"We don't have time to argue!" Laura cut her friend off and smashed her shield into the red mobile suit's head sensors, giving her the opportunity to break away. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing!"

Tully could only watch as the white and red mobile suits blasted off together, leaving a contrail of azure and crimson lines like two entwined threads as they clashed again and again. Each spark of their colliding beamsabres had her heart leaping into her throat and the brunette had never felt so powerless.

"That idiot! Come on, Tully!" Freya took charge and called for her. "Help me with Alice!"

"I appreciate it," said Alice, and they pulled her Garm along while it faced backwards so she could take pot shots at the approaching horde of Wargs. Together the trio jetted back to the Baselard, which had remained in position above Lemuria with the rest of the RDF fleet while it repelled LIRA's fighters.

"Baselard, this is Garm Team Two," Tully hailed them. "Eight Wargs are en route for your position. Requesting assistance."

"Roger, Team Two," the operator replied. "Anti-mobile suit orders have been issued. The Baselard will intercept them with you."

"Maintenance, come in!" Freya yelled into her com next just as they touched down onto the Baselard's deck. "I need a new rifle, stat!"

"I got you covered, Freya," the welcome voice of Junko replied, and several pillars shot up on deck to reveal an armoury of weapons. "Give them hell, ok?"

Freya discarded her shield and picked up a new rifle with her remaining arm. She may not be able to use a shield anymore, but at least she was still mobile. It was the opposite for Alice, who had lost her leg thrusters, but could still hide behind a shield. Tully was the only one still intact, but against eight Wargs, this was going to be a slog even with the Baselard's help. Freya's radar sounded its alert and the pink-haired pilot grimaced.

"Here they come!"

The Wargs swooped in like black hawks from all directions, firing their weapons from above, below and to the side. The Baselard responded with a barrage of cannon fire from the multiple turrets positioned across its hull, but their marks were too quick, too agile, and darted about like flies to livestock. Tully and the others did what they could, but despite the lessons learned five years ago, Rem's battleships were still slow targets too big to defend and their ship's thick hull was peppered with holes. Furthermore, it worried them that only half the Wargs had attacked – the other half that hung back were armed with ship-busting RPGs and cannons. What were they waiting for?

Just when it looked hopeless, two mobile suits tore across the battlefield, causing every combatant to freeze in place – Laura's white Garm and the Scarlet Wolf's red Fenrir twisted and clashed like two zigzagging comets. When Tully saw Laura, she had a sharp intake of breath for the Garm had lost its pristine white paint job and was all scratched up. But the technopath fought on, keeping her battered blast shield close as Vega coiled around her Garm like a snake snapping at her blind spots, and lured the Scarlet Wolf to the portside of the Baselard.

"Baselard!"

Laura shouted into her com and Captain Turner got wind of her plan in an instant. At his order, rows of square shutters on the portside of the Baselard flipped open and from them erupted dozens of screaming missiles; the RDF's trump card against LIRA's mobile suits. Like living hellfire, the missiles searched for victims and followed the Wargs as they scattered. Some were hit, transformed into speeding fireballs before their burnt-out husks were left to hurtle through space – but the majority of the missiles had gathered behind the Scarlet Wolf.

The corners of Vega's lips lifted, almost smiling. She should be flattered her enemies had sacrificed a whole barrage of missiles to eliminate her, but they were seriously underestimating the Scarlet Wolf and her Fenrir. Pulling her stick back, the masked pilot broke away from the pursuit of her prey and climbed high above the battle with the swarm of angry missiles chasing right behind her.

Together they twisted and turned in what looked like a futile escape, until Vega threw her beamsabre down and the spinning blade caught the leading missile, cleaving it in two. The warhead detonated and the other missiles were caught in its blast, causing a chain reaction of explosions that rippled downward. The resulting shockwave shook the Baselard and mobile suits of both sides, leaving a trail of smoke which Vega paused to admire. But the clouds began to stir and out of them blasted a familiar white Garm at full tilt with its beamsabre at the fore.

Laura released a war cry and charged directly at the Scarlet Wolf. This was it; she could feel it in her gut – the final crossing of blades to decide who was better. Only the best would live – the other would fall.

The technopath was so close; the red mobile suit was right in front of her and unarmed. Laura's beamsabre was reared above her Garm, poised to sunder the Scarlet Wolf apart. But from the Fenrir's hips, Vega Aurelia activated a spare beamsabre that would have surely impaled Laura had she not thrusted back from its fiery point.

The Fenrir followed, blasting forward in a sudden burst of speed. Laura hastily raised her blast shield, but it met not with a beamsabre, but the clenched fist of the red mobile suit. The impact finally shattered the worn shield and at the same moment a red beamsabre sliced up through the debris, severing her Garm's arm.

Laura slashed in front of her, acting out of both instinct and shock, but Vega had anticipated her reaction. The RDF pilot cut nothing but space dust and a red beamsabre came down with impeccable timing, severing her other arm. Breath shortening and panic rising, Laura hit her reverse thrusters, only for the Fenrir to grab the head unit of her Garm, holding her in place.

The technopath's breathing paused. On her monitor, the red mobile suit had its beamsabre pulled back, poised to run her cockpit through. Laura's purple eyes went wide and her heart raced. For the first time she could remember, the young orphan thought she would die.

In the cockpit of the Fenrir, Vega regarded the white Garm on her own monitor before her playful lips smoothed into a grim line.

"It's over… I win."

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* * *

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When Tully saw Laura's battered Garm plunge into the clouds of smoke to go after the Scarlet Wolf, she felt a terrible premonition wash over her like a chilling wave. From her knotted gut to the marrow of her bones, something shivered inside, screaming to the young orphan that if she let Laura go now she would be flying straight to her death.

"No, Laura! You mustn't!" Tully cried out and chased after her without a second thought, setting her panicked green eyes for the hole in the clouds and ramming her throttle hard.

"Tully! Get back here!" Freya saw Tully's Garm out of the corner of her eye disappearing into the smoke, but the Wargs began their assault again, pinning her down. "Damn it!"

She thrusted to behind the safety of Alice's shield and they weathered the barrage of beams together, before it suddenly stopped.

"What the…?" Freya peeked around the shield and her jaw dropped at the sight of the retreating Wargs. "Why?"

"Freya, look!"

The technopath followed the point of Alice's rifle below the ship and at first saw nothing but space, but if she squinted her eyes hard enough what came into view made her blue orbs stretch with alarm.

"That's impossible!" she shouted, double-checking her radar and Alice agreed.

"We have to warn the Baselard!"

Unbeknownst to the events below, Tully continued her frantic ascent through the clouds until the smoke peeled away to reveal Laura's Garm – but her sigh of relief was short-lived. The white Garm, once a towering and invincible symbol like its pilot, had been dismembered into a miserable torso that was now at the mercy of the Scarlet Wolf's blood-red beamsabre.

The very sight overwhelmed Tully with a tumult of emotions and time seemed to stand still. She found herself thinking of her first day in the orphanage, when a little girl with golden locks and fearless purple eyes had offered a tiny hand to the meek child that was her. She thought of how Laura had defended her from the bullies at school and made her feel safe and accepted. When Tully wanted to enrol into the academy with everyone else, she remembered how Laura had encouraged her and hugged her when they passed together. From their time in the academy to when they became pilots, Laura had continued to stick by her no matter what – the hand she had extended all those years ago had never let go.

When time flowed again, Tully was already propelling her Garm forward on blue fire and gritted teeth. There was no question she was scared – she had never been more terrified in her entire life – but what scared her more than death was the idea of losing her best friend forever. Laura had always been by her side, protecting her – and now it was Tully's turn to return the favour.

"Laura!"

Vega didn't see the speeding Garm coming until it was too late. The white blur slammed into the Fenrir, ramming the red mobile suit away from its intended victim and deep into space. But Tully didn't stop there – with some technopathic gymnastics, she overloaded her thrusters and stuck to the LIRA ace like glue, driving her backwards with a mad fury.

Finding herself a reluctant passenger, Vega tried to slice through her assailant, but was blocked by the Garm's blast shield. Without a shred of hesitation, Tully jammed the end of her rifle into the struggling Fenrir's torso and squeezed the trigger – only to be thwarted when a red metal knee speared the barrel from below, causing the beam to glance off the Fenrir's head. Its legs lifted next with foot thrusters blazing, blinding Tully with crimson light from her monitor before she heard the Scarlet Wolf kick off her Garm with a metallic crunch.

The impact sent them careening off in opposite directions. Tully braced her stricken body, kept in place only by her pilot's harness, the only thing protecting her from the devastating g-forces threatening to toss the girl about like a ragdoll. Her breath was hoarse. Her blood boiled with adrenaline. Her heart raced and every instinct in her body told her to flee. But throughout the ordeal, Tully's mind was clear.

She had to fight back. She had to protect Laura.

Summoning her strength, Tully yanked at her controls and blue fire erupted from the Garm's thrusters, correcting its turbulent freefall. She could have turned tail and run then and there, but instead the orphan rolled back towards the Fenrir's last position with her rifle at the ready. The nimble red machine had already recovered and was blazing straight for her on the monitor, grasping its menacing beamsabre so that it hung at its side like a flaming sword.

The moment was not lost on Tully – victory would belong to the one who could strike back first. Again, it was kill or be killed.

Red circles flashed on the monitor. The Garm's targeting system, calculating. Beeping slowly, while her beating heart sped. The Scarlet Wolf only grew larger on screen.

Tully's finger rested on the trigger. Waiting. Anxious. She thrusted backwards, buying time. The Fenrir extended its arm, beamsabre burning brightly. Tully stopped breathing. Death was mere seconds away.

A familiar tone reached her ears. The red circles merged into one. Tully squeezed the trigger… and a neon beamsabre flew into the monitor.

It was simultaneous. Vega Aurelia had thrown her beamsabre, impaling Tully's Garm in the head just as she had fired, causing the beam to miss by a nanometre. That was the last the orphan had seen before her monitor blacked out, but even without her sensors she knew what was coming.

A split second later, a terrible groan pierced Tully's ears – the sound of her Garm being torn asunder. The Scarlet Wolf had retrieved her beamsabre and was carving her prey straight down from the head. When crimson light flooded her cockpit, the orphan screamed and jerked her trigger repeatedly. She heard the buzz of the beamsabre before it slashed down to her left with a flash, missing Tully by inches and leaving her in darkness. When she heard the buzzing again to her right, the sound of her blind firing rifle came to sudden halt and all she could hear was her own ragged breathing.

In the darkness, Tully made out a jagged gash where her monitor used to be, now an open window into cold space – from the blackness of which the red face of the Scarlet Wolf appeared. She froze at the sight of its glowing ruby eyes, which seemed to consider her for a moment before the LIRA ace took off, leaving her with a view of starry space. But the orphan had no time to admire it; sparks were dancing across her instruments, her seat ejector had been disabled and she could feel heat building up behind her from the Garm's ruptured engine.

She didn't need a fortune teller to know it was going to explode.

"…Tully… Tully!"

By some miracle, the com crackled and Laura's frantic voice patched through. All the fear and panic in her bones faded away and Tully found herself smiling. She realised she could see Laura's Garm in the distance through the tear in her cockpit, along with the Baselard further behind where all their other friends were, floating like white angels. If this was the last thing she would ever see, Tully was grateful.

"Laura…" she whispered, her green eyes welling with tears. "Thank goodness…"

Tully had done it. She'd protected her best friend. Her family. She stared out into space until the heat consumed her and everything went white.

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* * *

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When the explosion came, it was nothing but a silent fireball on the monitor; a tiny orange dot against the expanse of black space. But for Laura, it was an all-consuming supernova and it had caused her entire world to collapse.

At first, she tried to hail Tully on the com, calling her name over and over, but there was no response. Disbelief gave way to bitter realisation and the technopath's lips trembled. She would never hear Tully's soft voice ever again.

Laura would have drowned in her sorrow if not for the whining tone of her radar. A red mobile suit appeared onscreen and the sight of it broke the young woman from her numbed stupor.

The Scarlet Wolf. Tully's killer – Tully's murderer.

Vega Aurelia.

Grief gave way to blind rage and Laura's purple eyes darkened into slits. She found her hands squeezing her controls so tightly her fingers burned with pain. The next thing she knew she had wrenched them forward, sending her maimed Garm bursting forth on blue fire and she carved a path straight for the Scarlet Wolf like a one-winged angel of vengeance.

As the hated red machine came into view, Laura screamed her lungs out, expelling anguish, pain and fury. All she could think about was how she would make them pay.

Vega Aurelia would pay.

Consumed by revenge, the technopath never heard the alarm wailing in her cockpit. When she finally saw the bright light shining from below, it was too late. The light grew, expanding across space until it threatened to engulf both mobile suits.

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* * *

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In Vega's experience, people rarely put themselves in harm's way if given the choice. Even on the battlefield, self-preservation ruled their decisions – particularly when faced with the Scarlet Wolf. That was why she was so stunned when the Garm – the weakest pilot of the four – had gotten between her and her prey.

So, when Vega found herself carving the Garm open, she couldn't help herself. She looked inside.

She wished she hadn't.

It was a young girl, probably no more than eighteen, fresh out of the academy. It left a bad taste in her mouth, but what was done was done. Vega blasted off and the Garm exploded behind her with a faint tremor, another victim of the Scarlet Wolf.

For a moment, she mulled whether to hunt down her original prey, only to find it coming straight to her from across the battlefield. The maimed Garm had no arms or weapons or any discernible tactic other than charging directly at Vega. Was this tenacity or just plain foolishness?

Ah… it was for revenge. In that case, the pilot was a fool, thought Vega.

"You should have escaped and bided your time instead," she chided them.

Death was the end of everything. You couldn't exact revenge if you were dead. No, you had to live, no matter what the cost so vengeance could be served. For the first time in their short meeting, as she watched the Garm fly towards her like a wild boar, Vega frowned.

"Your friend's sacrifice will be for nothing," she said, but the pilot did not change course. "So be it."

The Scarlet Wolf readied her beamsabre, fully prepared to put an end to the story of another talented pilot – until she noticed white light shining from below. With a flash, a wall of energy shot past like a coursing river, flooding her cockpit with blinding light and blocking the enemy Garm from view.

A blast from a ship's beam cannon, Vega realised, her eyes shielded by her mask. Once it passed and its energy had dissipated, she was confronted with an empty void. Her hands quickly went to her sensors and they showed the beam had passed through two RDF battleships – one below and another above that had been coming as reinforcements.

Two birds with one stone, Vega whistled. The reputation of her ship's captain was well-deserved, even if the RDF battleship below had somehow managed to avoid being obliterated. But other than the ship limping away with a smouldering hull, the enemy Garm was nowhere to be seen.

"Major Aurelia!" Ursula's worried voice on the com was followed by her Warg and the rest of their squadron thrusting to Vega's location, whereupon the captain began her report. "One RDF ship appeared to catch wind of the Blue Crow's position and only received moderate damage, but otherwise the ambush was a success."

"Yes, I can see that, Ursula," Vega replied, studying the surviving ship on her monitor. "It would seem our new stealth technology isn't entirely foolproof."

"Should we give chase?"

"…No," the major ordered after some thought. "They are no threat to us – and we have more pressing matters to attend to."

She had no sooner finished speaking when a long shadow passed over the Wargs. The sleek hull of the Blue Crow, the latest in LIRA's new stealth cruisers that used relic technology, was as quiet and shrewd as its captain.

"I'm pleased you remember why we are here, Major Aurelia," the aged voice that joined them on the com betrayed no emotion, but the moustached face that appeared on the monitor was grey and stern. "For a moment I believed the war had slipped your mind completely."

"Nonsense, Commodore Sparrhorn," Vega replied with practiced ease. "I always keep to the mission."

Ursula rolled her eyes and more than a few of the other pilots chuckled. Commodore Sparrhorn didn't appear to react at all, but anyone paying attention would see the edge of his lip had risen ever so slightly under his bushy moustache.

"Command reports that while Operation Eclipse has been a success, our ships are already being bombarded with RDF reinforcements," he informed them, before a twinkle entered his eyes. "However, we have no such impediments here. As such, this presents a unique opportunity for personal glory and victory… unless the major objects to straying from our mission parameters?"

Vega couldn't wipe the grin from her face.

"No objections, commodore."

"Excellent. Take your squadron and forge ahead. The Blue Crow will provide support."

The commodore disappeared from Vega's monitor, which only left the image of the retreating RDF ship. Something told her the Garm pilot had not been incinerated by the Blue Crow's beam cannon at all and while the Scarlet Wolf hated to leave a duel unfinished, so long as the war raged on she had a feeling they would meet again. After closing the image, she accepted a new beam rifle from Ursula and blasted off in a red line towards the heart of the RDF fleet with her squadron of Wargs in tow.

"Follow me, Space Wolves! Glory to Lux"

.

* * *

.

"Let me go!"

Laura screamed and thrashed at her controls, but it could hardly be called a struggle when her Garm had no arms. The technopath thought she had been vaporised by the beam of light, but the next thing she knew Freya and Alice were carrying her away. They hid under the scorched hull of the retreating Baselard and watched as the Scarlet Wolf and her allies shrunk into distant figures. It made Laura feel powerless – as powerless as she had been when Tully was killed.

"No! She's getting away!"

"Stop, Laura! You're in no condition to fight!" Alice begged her over the com and tightened her Garm's grip.

"Please, Laura…" Freya whispered, as quiet as they had ever heard her. "We don't want to lose you too."

When she heard that, Laura finally settled down. Knowing no one was watching, she curled into a ball and rested her head in her hands. The anger she had used to shield herself from her sorrow faded, but it was only when she was back inside the Baselard's hangar bay that she broke.

The moment she exited her cockpit, a pair of arms wrapped around her and tackled the pilot so they floated across the bay's zero-gravity space.

"Laura…! I'm so glad you're alright!"

"Junko…" Laura recognised her friend's black head of hair and it all came flooding out. "Junko… Tully is… Tully is…"

"I know…" Junko pulled back and the young women saw their eyes were both welling with tears. "I know…"

They embraced again, squeezing each other even tighter than before. Watching on, Alice let her tears flow freely, marring her pretty face. Freya turned around and punched a wall before hanging her head, convulsing controllably until Alice went to comfort her.

The five orphans were now four and things would never be the same again.

.

* * *

.

It was only later they learnt LIRA had won the battle.

The RDF fleet had been completely routed, courtesy of Lux's new stealth relic technology and Vega Aurelia. The Scarlet Wolf and her pack had carved a path of destruction straight to the centre of the embattled fleet, destroying the RDF flagship, the Flameberge, and sending the rest of the fleet into disarray. The surviving ships withdrew, giving Lux complete control over Lemurian space and the first major victory in the fifteen-year conflict.

Operation Arrowhead was labelled a disaster. It was a humiliating defeat for Rem that would lead to a storm of blame, finger-pointing and soul searching – but the orphans had no time to care. They were burying their friend.

En route back to Rem, the crew of the Baselard held a ceremony for those they had lost. A glass coffin was prepared and one by one the crew laid a wreath inside, each emblazoned with a name of the fallen. When it came to the final wreath, Laura, Freya, Alice and Junko all walked forward and laid it together, before standing back to reveal the name it bore.

Tulip Smith.

At Captain Turner's signal, the coffin was launched into space and the crew watched from the viewing room, saluting as it drifted into the void. While her friends lingered to pay their respects, Laura slipped away back to their quarters. She had not been able to sleep since it happened and felt like a zombie. Sometimes it didn't really feel like Tully was gone – any moment Laura thought she would hear her voice or see her smile – and then she would feel the hole in her heart that would never be filled.

After floating aimlessly through the halls, the technopath found herself at the door of the orphans' shared room. She had to take a breath before opening it, but when it hissed ajar she felt a pang at seeing Tully's empty bed. It was still well-made and tidy by her hand.

Yearning or grief or both took over Laura and she sat on Tully's bed, smoothing the covers with the back of her fingers. Only a few days ago they had been talking in here like always. She looked up and saw the group photo of them in front of the Libra Orphanage, stuck to the bunk's underside where she could always see it before sleeping.

Tully was smiling. So were the matron and the children. Laura's heart sunk. What was she going to tell them?

That's when she saw it. Resting on the table, where they had sat since the battle, were Tully's tarot cards. Laura's unfinished reading, forgotten since Tully's death, came rushing back. They never found out what the final card had been.

But Tully had.

Laura reached over, placed a gentle hand on top of the deck and paused. Something told her she might be better off not knowing, that only more pain awaited her, but even so she could not deter herself. She had to know.

With a technopathic touch, Laura demagnetised the top card and brought it up to her face. Steeling her purple eyes, she flipped the card around. One gasp later and she stared at the revealed image with stunned pupils. All colour drained from her face.

"Oh, Tully… you knew…" she whispered, and covered her quivering lips. "It was meant to be me…"

The room echoed with the sound of sobbing. But in space tears cannot fall; instead they floated forth, splashing off the picture on the card. It was of a black robed skeleton riding a dark horse and wielding a long scythe. The name printed underneath was mere decorum.

It was Death.

.

**END OF EPISODE ONE**

* * *

Next Episode Preview

TULLY: _ Did you know, Laura? The Death Tarot Card does not actually mean physical death. It symbolises spiritual transformation; a time of change and new beginnings._

_Next time, on Gundam Gemini:_

_Orthrus._

_Goodbye, and good luck, Laura. Your journey of a thousand miles has only just begun._

* * *

Thank you to anyone who's read this far! I'd love it if you left a comment below!


	3. Episode 02 - Orthrus - Part A

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam.

* * *

.

Gundam Gemini

Episode Two

Orthrus

Part A

.

"_One week after the RDF's disastrous defeat above Lemuria, the Rem government continues to weather the fallout of the loss – the first major shift in the fifteen-year long war with Lux." _

In a spacious office, the crisp voice of a male news anchor boomed from a giant television mounted on a baby blue wall. The footage on-screen reflected off an even larger window, the thick glass of which encompassed an entire wall and looked out over a sprawling metropolis below. But the magnificent view outside could not shake the attention of the people in the office from the TV, whose eyes were so engrossed.

"_As reports continue to flood in detailing the true extent of the casualties and the missing, questions are being asked as to whether the government knew just how technologically superior LIRA was. The president and the defence minister's claims they cannot comment on military matters has only angered family and friends of those killed in the battle. Lux's victory also gives them complete control over Lemurian space, essentially leaving RDF personnel still planet side stranded and with limited supplies. Today, the government's assurances to families of those stranded that 'they had still not lost the war' were met with derision and calls for an immediate inquiry…"_

The report came to a sudden halt when a remote was hurled at the TV, bouncing off the screen with a crack before the picture switched off.

"How the hell did this happen?!"

The voice screaming at the top of its lungs belonged to a middle-aged woman in a blue dress suit who sat behind the lone desk in the room, upon which she slammed her fist. Her blonde hair, styled short and brushed back, shook out of place as her hawkish eyes snapped to the two other people standing across from her.

"You idiots told me Operation Butthead was foolproof!"

"Arrowhead …" the man in a grey suit and thick glasses said, sheepishly. "Operation Arrowhead, Madame President…"

"Well, its Butthead now, since that's what we all look like," the president retorted, before pointing an accusing finger at the man. "I should never have made you defence minister, Ridgeway! If we start bleeding votes at the next poll, it's on your shiny bald head!"

"President Winters," the other man, who wore a white RDF uniform with a parade of medals over his muscular frame, interrupted. "Operation Arrowhead had a high chance of success. The odds Lux would find a relic that would yield something as powerful as stealth technology was rated as extremely slim. Now, with the loss of Lemurian space, we need to re-evaluate our relic hunting operations immediately."

"Again with the damned relics, Barton? What is this war, a slot machine?"

"We should listen to the admiral, Madame President," Ridgeway hurriedly agreed. "Now that LIRA has control over what comes and goes from Lemuria, our scientists will have no new relics to research. At this rate, Lux's victory will almost be assured."

"Well, that's just fantastic," President Winters sighed with a heavy tone of sarcasm. "Not only do we look like buttheads, we're going to be known as the buttheads who lost the war!"

"We can still turn this war around, Madame President," Admiral Barton insisted and began pacing across the room. "First, we order our soldiers on Lemuria to cease relic hunting operations and instead focus completely on obstructing LIRA's operations. If we can't get relics off world, neither will they."

The president rested her chin on her hands and listened as the admirall laid out his plan.

"And second, we redouble our relic hunting operations in and beyond the Lemurian system. If our researchers are right, there are more relics outside of the planet than we thought. One of them just might turn the tide."

"We should assume Lux will do the same if we stymie their relic hunting operations on Lemuria," Ridgeway added. "But with their supply line cut, how long will our troops last?"

"A year at most, but I doubt it," Admiral Barton stopped his pacing and grimaced. "We'll need results by then, along with a new fleet to retake Lemuria."

"So basically what you're saying is we're gambling on our relic hunters to find something amazing within a year?" President Winters sunk into her chair and closed her eyes, before opening them again with a hawk-like gaze. "I hope you have someone damned good in mind to put in charge of this."

"I know just the man, Madame President," Admiral Barton answered and handed the commander-in-chief a folder labelled top-secret.

"Milos Hartmann," the president opened the folder and read the file. "Hartmann… where have I heard that name before?"

Before she could finish her thought, the voice of a secretary spoke through the intercom on the desk.

"Madam President, a Captain Milos Hartmann is here to see you."

"The man himself. Send him in," President Winters instructed, and speed-read the rest of the folder.

When the double doors opened, a tall well-built man in a white uniform entered and strode up to the president's desk before saluting. His disciplined demeanour along with his stony face and dark eyes bespoke of a soldier's soldier, impressing those in the room.

"At ease, captain," said the president and Milos relaxed, parting his legs and putting his hands behind his back. "I just read your file. You have an impressive record. But this mission is of the utmost importance – in fact, it wouldn't be far-fetched to say the entire fate of Rem would rest on your shoulders. Are you up to the task?"

"I am, Madame President," Milos answered with a deep and clear voice, devoid of hesitation. "I have been briefed extensively and I believe I am the most suitable person for this mission. Under my watch, Lux will not be allowed to win the relics race nor the war."

"I see," President Winters nodded, and her thin lips creased into a smile. "Well, I think we have our man, admiral."

"Captain Hartmann, for the purposes of this mission you will be given command of the RDF's top-secret, state of the art warship, the Lionheart," Defence Minister Ridgeway handed Milos another folder labelled top-secret and inside were pictures of a white ship he had never seen before.

"It's a match for any LIRA ship and should serve you well on your relic hunt," Admiral Barton added. "Of course, you'll get to handpick your crew."

"Hartman… wait, now I remember," President Winters exclaimed with excitement. "The pilot who fought the Scarlet Wolf and lived to tell the tale."

"Yes, Laura is my daughter, Madame President," said Milos.

"Amazing girl, one of our few success stories – god knows we need some good news around here," the president grumbled, but paused and something lit up in her predatory eyes. "Gentlemen, I think I just solved our morale issues…"

.

* * *

.

The Red Lady was a bar popular with LIRA personnel in the Lux capital of Dragnel, particularly with mobile suit pilots. After their glorious victory over Rem in the battle for Lemuria, a week of celebrations was declared by the Emperor and the inhabitants of Lux rejoiced for a week and more. People danced in the street, raised their glasses and the mood was joyous. The Red Lady especially was a hot-spot for revellers hoping to get a glimpse of the female pilot for which it was named after – but neither hide nor silver hair was seen of the Scarlet Wolf at the bar for months after the battle.

Until today, that was.

"My usual, bartender."

The woman in the smart black officer's uniform strode into the bar with a confident gait in her long legs, catching the attention of the soldiers drinking at the tables. The white mask she wore over her eyes was distinct enough, but her flowing silver hair also made heads turn, as did the red boots her pant legs were tucked inside of.

"Major!"

The lone officer sitting at the counter jumped to her feet when she saw Lux's favourite daughter and made a hasty salute.

"Sit down, Ursula," Vega smiled and returned the sharp salute with a casual wave. "We're still off duty for a few more hours."

The shorter woman relaxed her shoulders and blew stray brown locks out of her eyes to reveal a disapproving gaze.

"Then I won't mention those boots," she remarked with a raised eyebrow.

The two sat side by side at the bar and the bartender brought out a bottle of wine. After a nod of approval from Vega, its deep red fluid was poured into a broad glass which she lifted by the stem to take in the rich aroma. As the Scarlet Wolf brought the glass to her lips and sipped, Ursula watched on enraptured.

"Oh, how I've missed your company," Vega mused, releasing a pleased sigh as she sipped again.

"Do you mean me, or your wine?" Ursula cocked her head over and asked.

"You, of course, my dear Ursula," her superior turned to her with a playful tone. "We've been apart for a whole month after all."

"It may have been a month for you, but I feel like I've seen you every day," said Ursula, and with impeccable timing the television above the bar began playing a patriotic commercial featuring one Vega Aurelia.

"Don't remind me," the masked pilot groaned. "Military PR has been working me to the bone ever since I got back. It was always the schedule this and the schedule that – I think I was only allowed to return home once and that was just to spend the night."

"What? How dare they! This is meant to be your R&R!" Ursula growled and her large brown eyes narrowed in anger, but the major merely took another sip from her glass.

"Oh, it's fine. I don't know what to do with myself on R&R anyway," Vega reassured her with a smile. "Enough about me; how was your month, Ursula?"

"Me? Nothing special," the subordinate melted under the Scarlet Wolf's attention and ended up staring at the glass of half-finished beer in her hands. "I went back to the estate and saw my family."

"They must be proud of you; a LIRA captain returning honour to the Roland name."

"You sound like my mother," Ursula laughed. "But the children were more interested in hearing about the Scarlet Wolf."

"Oh? I hope you didn't disappoint them?"

"I may have put in a good word or two," the brunette joked with a straight face, but after a swig of her beer a hint of timidness entered her voice. "Our family does not have much, but the children would be so pleased if… if you could visit…"

"I would be delighted."

"Y-You would?" Ursula almost shouted, completely taken by surprise.

"Yes, I would be happy to meet your younger siblings," Vega repeated, smiling. "And how could I refuse a request from my cute subordinate?"

Feeling her own face heat up with embarrassment, Ursula frowned. No matter how often the major flattered her, she just could not get used to it.

"What do we have here? A pair of lovebirds?"

The joking voice of the intruder was known to Ursula and annoyance did not even begin to describe her reaction. When she saw the newcomer flop down next to Vega at the bar with his pale, unshaven face and unkempt black hair, the captain clicked her tongue. His pilot's uniform, equally dishevelled, nevertheless shared the same insignia as their jackets – that of a wolf's head with a dagger in its jaws.

"Lieutenant Luke Valorie! Once again, your appearance is unbecoming of an officer in the Imperial Army!" Ursula bellowed with a glare black enough to straighten out any other subordinate, but Luke merely leaned on his elbow and grinned.

"Nice to see you again too, Captain Roland, Major Aurelia," he replied with a wink of his pale blue eyes, which lit up as soon as a beer was placed in front of him and the pilot downed the liquid like precious oxygen.

Ursula growled and chugged down her own beer in response, slamming it on the counter when she was finished. Valorie may be a talented mobile suit pilot, popular with the younger pilots, and the unspoken third-in-command of the Space Wolves, but his lack of discipline and flippant attitude absolutely infuriated the captain. She had no idea why the major put up with him, but if not for that Ursula would have catapulted his sorry behind out the nearest space-shoot with prejudice.

"Luke," Vega greeted him, unperturbed. "Ursula and I were just discussing our month of R&R. How was yours?"

"Oh, it was horrible!" Luke put on a dramatic air and exclaimed. "I went home and saw my family. Can you imagine?"

"I can, sadly," Ursula quipped, pitying any family that had to put up with this man.

"I just wanted to get the hell out of there, but they made me go to every little party, parading me like a prize horse. I thought I could at least ingratiate myself with the ladies, but all they wanted to hear about was the Scarlet Wolf!"

"You're welcome," Vega smirked.

"Oh, if you think that's good, you'll love this, major," Luke grinned, and his eyes twinkled. "One time your self-declared rival, Major Narick Ambion, showed up and started boasting as usual, but suddenly your commercial played and the conversation shifted to the Scarlet Wolf. He shut up faster than a mute parrot."

"Oh my… you don't say?" Vega chuckled, pleased, and sweetened the moment by taking another sip of her wine.

"Serves him right!" Ursula scoffed, sounding tipsy. "Someone who only earned their rank through their family's influence couldn't hope to be the major's equal! Not in a million years!"

"House Ambion certainly got a stuck with a brat as its heir, while House Aurelia's fortunes continue to only rise with its star daughter," Luke mused, glancing between the figure on the TV and the real thing seated next to him. "I bet Lord Ambion had a heart attack when he watched you get a medal from the Emperor himself."

"You were sho beautiful, major!" Ursula recounted, now slurring her words. "Sho beautiful and gallant!"

"Stop it, Ursula. You know flattery will get you nowhere with me," Vega chided her, but smiled nonetheless. "I still cannot believe they broadcast it live, the pinning of a tiny medal. The whole ceremony was just a propaganda stunt."

"Come to think of it, why did they only give you a medal, major? Considering you singlehandedly repelled the entire Rem fleet, I would've thought a promotion was in order," Luke pondered aloud, in between refills of his glass.

"I wasn't offered a promotion," Vega stated, pausing for a moment. "I was offered a position in the Imperial Guard."

"What?!"

Both Ursula and Luke yelled at the same time, almost spitting out their mouthfuls of beer before staring at their commander with comical, wide-eyed shock. In contrast, Vega remained where she sat, sipping her red wine with calm.

"I refused, if you're wondering," she continued, when nothing came out of their slack jaws.

"You refused?! Why?!" Ursula, stunned back to sobriety, began the uncharacteristic act of chastising her commander. "The salary in the Imperial Guard would have anyone set for life! Not to mention the prestige! Oh my god, the prestige!"

"I don't think the major was dissatisfied with the pay, captain," Luke collected himself in time to point out, but continued to rub the bridge of his nose. "It is surprising you didn't accept such an honour, so why?"

"It's simple," Vega explained, staring into her wine. "Joining the Imperial Guard would have taken me out of the war. It's a babysitting position with little chance of further promotion or glory. No, I like the heat of battle and commanding my own squad, so I will stay right where I am."

"But it's such a waste," Luke shook his head, unconvinced. "Think of how close it would bring you to the Imperial Family – how you could influence them."

"If its influence, Lord Aurelia already has the Emperor's ear," Vega reminded her subordinate and the corners of her red lips began to rise. "Besides, I'm a household name now; I already have influence – and just imagine how much I'll have when I win the war."

Hearing that, Luke could only laugh and drink his beer. As expected of the daughter of House Aurelia, she was playing the long game.

"When you put it that way, I suppose I should be glad you're not going anywhere," Ursula mumbled, not realising she was smiling.

"Oh, I could never leave you, Ursula," Vega teased and grinned as she watched the flush build on the captain's cheeks. "Especially not after learning of our next assignment."

"You've been briefed already?"

"Commodore Sparrhorn is an old friend of my father's and I learnt through him," Vega explained, refilling her glass and lifting it up so it sparkled like a ruby. "We're going hunting."

.

* * *

.

The familiar scarlet mobile suit darted side to side on the monitor, making tight turns in an attempt to escape its pursuer. Laura stayed on its tail, keeping a firm grip on her flight stick and the cockpit shook as she mimicked the actions of her prey. With perfect control over her throttle, she kept the red machine centred on the screen until the targeting reticules converged.

One squeeze of the trigger later and blue beams pierced the body of Laura's foe, sending crimson parts flying everywhere from the resulting explosion. But rather than pleased, her purple eyes burned with fury and the blonde grit her teeth. No matter how many times she shot it down, Laura's anger could not be quenched – it only reminded the technopath of her failure.

With a drawn-out jingle, the screen of floating red debris switched off and the top-half of the cockpit began to swing open. Freya's serious face was the first to greet her and she rested her arms on the side of the simulator so her blue eyes looked down on Laura.

"How was that?" she asked as her twin-tailed pink hair floated towards the ceiling.

"It's still way off," Laura sighed, undoing her belt and drifting out. "There's no way Vega Aurelia is this predictable."

"Thought so," Freya bit her lip. "So we can replicate the Fenrir's specs, but not the pilot. Formulating a strategy against her is going to be harder than we thought."

"No, it's more than that," Laura's shook her head and her brow furrowed with frustration. "The simulator can't replicate technopathic talent – and Vega Aurelia is off the charts. The AI can't even begin to imagine what she can do in a mobile suit."

The blonde squeezed her fists into tight balls as she thought back on her first encounter with the Scarlet Wolf, almost three months ago. When Laura closed her eyes, she could see the superior speed, power and tactical genius with which the Fenrir had left her outclassed like it was yesterday. Now, whenever she got into the cockpit of a Garm, real or simulated, the technopath could only think of how lumbering and obsolete her machine was.

"It's no good…" Laura shook her head again and when she opened her eyes back to reality the purple orbs were downcast. "No matter how I look at it, our Garms are too slow. If only I had a better mobile suit, I know I could match her…"

"Hey, don't forget about us," a warm hand gripped Laura's shoulder and she found Freya steadying her. "We all swore to avenge Tully's death. You're not alone in this, Laura."

Freya's rival, once unwavering in confidence, only gave a passive nod and rubbed her necklace through her clothes, a clear sign the loss still weighed on the pilot.

"Come on, Junko and Alice are waiting for us in the mess hall," Freya changed the subject. "They're probably stuffing themselves without us."

With a push of a button on the wall, a hydraulic sliding door opened, and the pair exited the dimly-lit simulator room and floated through into the bright white corridors of a ship. It had been a month since the orphans had been assigned to the Lionheart, but they were still in awe to be serving on such an advanced RDF warship – the first battlecruiser of its class. While Laura, Freya and Alice had spent much of their time on the simulator, strategizing against the Scarlet Wolf, Junko had instead geeked out over every new piece of technology on the ship and bugged the crew with her incessant questions.

A month of R&R on Rem had left the four restless and they were eager to be back in action. The news they would be on the frontlines in the hunt for new relics not only excited them, it also gave them purpose. It was what they desperately needed after the four had visited the Libra Orphanage and were forced to tell the matron and the children what had happened to Tully. The memories of their tears served to remind the quartet of their vendetta and gave them newfound drive in their mission.

"Laura! Freya! Over here!"

The jovial voice belonged to the dark-haired girl waving to them in the corner of the mess hall with the mouthful of food. As expected, Junko was already stuffing her face with food from a meal tray, which like the tables and chairs were all fastened down in the weightlessness of space. Beside her, Alice gave a casual wave while sucking on her carton of juice and Laura and Freya sat down in front of them.

"Well, somebody's enjoying themselves," Freya remarked, looking at Junko.

"Can you blame me? The grub here is a step above the Baselard's," the petite girl deflected in between mouthfuls. "Plus, I was talking with the chief again all morning. Did you know he once fixed a Garm using nothing but a watch and a can of beer? I've never met anyone who loved mobile suits as much as me! I'm learning so much from him."

"Chief? You mean, Superintendent Moses?" Laura tried to imagine tiny Junko pestering the dark giant of the maintenance unit with questions and failed. "You're brave… the man could kill with looks alone."

"He's not scary! Chief is a big softie at heart – at least, that's how he is with me," Junko replied, shaking her fork.

"That's how he is with all of us," said Alice, releasing the straw from her cherry red lips. "He yells at all the other male mechanics and crew, but is polite with the opposite sex."

"Oh, so that's how it is," Freya snickered and ran a hand through her pink tails. "It really is troublesome being this cute sometimes."

"I don't think chief even asks about you," said Junko, before bursting the diva's bubble with a grin. "All the guys in the mobile suit bay can talk about is Laura."

"What?!" the eyeballs of the girl in question almost popped out of their sockets along with Freya's. "Why?!"

"You really need to ask?" Alice said before showing her a newspaper article on her PDA. "You're a celebrity now."

The technopath's eyes bulged again when she read the headline: 'Young New Ace Fights Off Scarlet Wolf.'

"Oh no, I knew I shouldn't have done that interview!" Laura groaned, clawing and stretching at her cheeks.

"Well, it was either this or a televised ceremony," Freya pointed out. "I still can't believe you refused a medal from the president."

"I didn't do anything to deserve a medal. If anyone deserves one, it's Tully – she saved my life," Laura proclaimed, feeling intensely proud of her departed friend even as she clenched her fists again. "Besides, all President Winters wanted was some propaganda to boost morale. That's why I gave the newspaper interview instead, even though Milos was against it."

"I'm surprised Milos didn't just stow you away on the Lionheart when we got back – he was really overprotective," said Junko. "Speaking of which, what's it like being on the same ship as your dad?"

"Not as weird as I thought. I just have to remember to call him captain."

"The crew really enjoyed it when you kept saying 'Milos' on the com in the beginning," Alice reminded her, causing the others to laugh and Laura to blush. "Other captains would punish you for insubordination just for that."

"Well, Milos is pretty cool. We've all known him since we were kids at the orphanage," said Freya. "It's easy to follow his orders because we trust him. Can't say the same for our new XO…"

"Commander Gabriel?"

"She's such a bossy little troll! She yaps at everyone for even the slightest infractions!" Freya yelled and grinded her perfect white teeth just thinking of the Lionheart's executive officer. "I doubt there's anyone left on this ship Miss Perfect hasn't pissed off since we departed Rem a month ago. I'd call her an ice queen, but she's more like a cold bit–"

Freya's wagging tongue froze when she finally noticed the others had become unnaturally still and dead quiet.

"…She's right behind me, isn't she?"

The technopath shrunk in her seat and her face paled as she felt a presence loom over her before a deathly voice whispered into her ear.

"Go on, Valstein… Don't let a cold bitch like me interrupt you."

Looking down on Freya with a pair of piercing red eyes was a tall woman in a white officer's uniform. The uniform had been pressed to perfection as had the polished black buttons and it was obvious the wearer took pride in their appearance. A single braid of deep blue hair trailed behind her head, atop which smartly sat an officer's white cap, and her facial features were of striking, if intimidating, beauty.

"C-Commander Gabriel!" Freya shouted, the blood draining from her face as she stood to attention and saluted. "I'm… I'm really sorry, ma'am!"

"Spare me, ensign," the older woman, whom Laura guessed was in her mid-twenties, sighed and surprised them by sitting at their table with her meal tray. "Besides, it's all true. I'm a bossy little Miss Perfect who gets on everybody's nerves. By the way, you can sit down now, Valstein."

Freya, who had squeezed her eyes shut, finally opened them and sat back down. But judging by her stiffened posture, she still looked ready to flee at any second.

"You girls might not understand it, but I have my reasons to act that way," Commander Gabriel started again, surprising them with her candidness. "I'm not just any officer, I'm a female officer, and women are expected to do twice as much and be twice as perfect as men to get any respect in the military. If I don't draw a line in the sand early and put on the demon commander act, those misogynists in the crew are going to walk all over me. I just wanted you girls to know, I may be tough on others, but I'm fair."

When the commander finished, the orphans looked to each other and came to a sudden agreement.

"Oh… Oh no, commander, we completely understand!" Laura began, leaning forward. "At our last ship, these flyboys bullied us just for being girls!"

"And I was totally going to disagree with Freya!" Junko added, covering her ass. "I think most of the crew actually respects your dedication and work ethic!"

"Me too. I sensed you were responsible and fearless from the beginning, commander," said Alice. "It's reassuring to have you as our XO."

"I'm really sorry, commander! I never knew you had to go through all that crap!" Freya bowed her head. "I just thought your boyfriend had dumped you or something…"

"Apology accepted, Valstein – and I'll ignore that last comment," said Commander Gabriel, but still glared at the pink-haired troublemaker, causing her to flinch. "I just wanted to give you girls some advice on what to expect in your military careers. Especially you, Laura Hartmann."

"Me?"

"The military wouldn't usually put family members in the same outfit, but this is a special case."

"I know what you're saying, commander. But Milos – I mean, Captain Hartmann, picked us because we're the best technopaths and pilots needed for this relic hunting mission," said Laura and the others nodded with her. "I'm not expecting any special treatment and I know the captain won't be giving me any."

"That's good to hear. But people will still gossip," the commander pointed out. "I can see you have a thick skin, but feel free to talk to me anytime."

The offer genuinely touched Laura and she was speechless for a moment.

"…Thank you, commander."

"Sofia," said the older woman, as she began digging into her tray. "We'll be seeing a lot of each other, so feel free to call me that in private."

"What do you mean?" asked Junko, and a feeling of dread began to well up in the stomachs of the four.

"I'll be in charge of the Lionheart's weapons systems on deck, so co-ordination with the mobile suit team during battle will be crucial to victory," Sofia explained, stabbing at her frozen food. "It's probably better you don't eat lunch, because after this I'm going to drill you on every possible situation in the simulators – and we won't be leaving without a hundred-percent success rate. Understood?"

While Junko breathed a sigh of relief and snuck away, the pilots could only nod. Soon they would discover Sofia Gabriel's nickname as the Demon Commander was well deserved.

.

* * *

.

"_We are now coming within range of Lemuria's moon, Lenos. All crew prepare for relic hunting operations."_

When Laura heard the announcement, she and the other pilots were already in their Garms adjusting their instruments. As they had been briefed moments ago, signs of a relic had been detected on Lemuria's moon by an RDF ship retreating from the disastrous battle three months ago.

In the past, Lenos would enter the territories of both Lux and Rem's space forces as it circled the planet. However, there was never enough time for either side to conduct a thorough search for relics on its surface before it passed. Now, with LIRA controlling Lemurian space, the Lionheart's first mission was to conduct a covert reconnaissance of the moon and recover the relic before the enemy noticed. Time would be of the essence.

"Scouts from the second fleet report that LIRA's fleet is maintaining its position above Lemuria. We are clear to proceed."

"Copy that," Laura replied to the operator. "Garm team is on standby and awaiting orders."

"Laura," the face of her adoptive father, Milos, appeared on-screen and addressed her. "Remember Laura, in and out – and at the first sign of trouble, just get out. The second fleet is only here as a decoy, so we can't rely on them to save us if things go wrong."

The pilot rolled her eyes, but she knew how lucky she was. Even though Milos wasn't her real father, he still worried like he was and along with his wife had made her feel like family. Before the adoption, he had been a constant visitor and donor to Libra Orphanage, so she was sure it was the same for the other orphans whom he had known since their childhood.

"I wasn't relying on them anyway… captain," said Laura, just catching herself. "But will three Garms really be enough for recon?"

"It's all we have. The Lionheart was made for speed and self-sufficiency in battle; three or four Garms was determined to be the minimum number required to complement it."

"And we have the three best pilots in the RDF here," Freya appeared on-screen and boasted, jutting into the conversation. "The only thing I'm worried about is LIRA's stealth tech."

"Don't worry, some last-minute countermeasures were added after Operation Arrowhead," Junko butted in next from the hangar bay. "The people who designed the Lionheart thought of everything!"

"For our sakes, I hope so," Alice joined in, her hazel eyes looking forlorn. "This will be our first time back to the battlefield since it happened."

The four portraits on-screen went quiet along with Laura. This would also be the first time they flew without Tully, making her absence all the more noticeable, and the thought that she was still floating out there in the wreckage of her Garm pained them. They were only brought back to the task at hand by the enlarged image of Sofia's humourless face taking up their screens.

"If you're all quite done, there's a relic on Lenos that requires finding," she reminded them in her icy tone.

"Yes, commander…" the girls chorused with well-trained habit and Milos adjusted his cap.

"Captain, the Lionheart is in position over the relic's last known signal and Chief Moses reports the Garms are ready to launch at any time."

"Right," Milos coughed and assumed command. "Garm team, you are clear to launch and begin the operation. Good luck."

"Yes, captain," Laura and the others responded, and the crowd of faces on her screen closed one by one. The technopath's Garm was moved onto the launch pad first and the runway ahead lit up with the opening of the bay doors. From the control room she saw Junko's suited figure give her the thumbs up and the blonde gave her necklace its customary rub through her suit.

"This is Laura Hartmann, taking off!"

The familiar kick of the catapult knocked Laura back in her seat and the Garm rumbled beneath her as it was hurled forward past the bay doors. The dark tunnel that followed, illuminated only by the runway of dotted lights, flashed by in an instant until the rumbling stopped and the Garm was gliding out of the ship and into space. The rollercoaster rush Laura felt with every launch never got old, but this time there was something else to take her breath away – a front row view of the lunar landscape of Lenos.

"It's beautiful…" Alice whispered over the com and her Garm came in from behind Laura along with Freya's.

The surface of the moon was white like snow, an alien wonderland with hundreds of craters big and small. Some were from the Lemurian Conflict, others from ancient asteroid collisions, but the cause of the largest crater which covered almost one side of Lenos remained a mystery. It was that very crater which stretched out below them on their monitors like a chasm, which in turn was dwarfed by the expansive deserts of the yellow planet eclipsing the lunar sky above, and the sight left the girls in awe.

"…Come on, we're not here to sightsee," Laura finally broke the silence, took a breath and tore her eyes away from giant Lemuria before activating her thrusters.

The three Garms blasted ahead of the Lionheart and down to the lunar surface, maintaining in a V-formation as they made their way to the centre of the giant crater.

"What even made this thing?" Freya asked aloud, scanning her monitor side to side as they sped by. The edges of the crater were sheer cliffs.

"We still don't know, but whatever it was scientists theorise it had to have come from the direction of Lemuria," Alice informed her. "Maybe even a weapon."

"They tried to blow up their own moon?" Freya yelled. "That's crazy."

"It's from the time of the Cataclysm too," Junko joined them on the com from the Lionheart. "We may never know why."

"Enough chatter. We're here," Laura interrupted their discussion and the Garms came to a halt. "I'm not picking anything up on my instruments. Let's spread out."

"The crater has been checked before, right? Why didn't they pick anything up then?" asked Freya, watching the others blast off before taking the remaining direction.

"That was years ago, at the beginning of the war, and relic detection technology has vastly improved since then," Junko explained, sighing. "Oh, I wish I was down there with you!"

"I have something!" Alice called, and the other Garms stopped what they were doing and joined her. "It's faint, but it's there… under the crater."

"Under the crater?" Laura raised an eyebrow.

"I guess… they missed?" Freya spoke the most logical thing that came to mind.

Landing on the surface they did the only thing they could do – they dug.

"If I knew this was going to happen, I would have brought a shovel," Freya complained and directed her Garm to claw away at the moon's barren soil with its robotic hands while the others did the same nearby. It wasn't long before they found something under the shifted rock and sand.

"I found something," said Laura, causing the others to pause.

"The relic?" Freya asked, hopeful.

"No… it's a metal slab…"

Laura brushed her Garm's hand against the black metal showing from under the dusty white ground and felt a shock course through her.

"…I have technopathic connection!"

The hands of their Garms were specially made so they could interact with electronics and relics while still inside the safety of their cockpits. What Laura found confused her.

"Lionheart, this is Garm team," Laura alerted the bridge over the com. "We've found a door…"

"A door?" Milos asked, watching on the monitor as the Lionheart passed over the huddled Garms.

"At least, that's what I'm sensing. The relic must be underneath. Permission to open it, captain?"

"…Do it," Milos ordered, after a pause. "But be ready to hightail it out of there. We don't know what we'll find."

"Roger that," Laura signed off and conferred with the faces of her teammates. "Well, here we go… open sesame."

With a technopathic prod, she instructed the door mechanism to open. Nothing happened at first, but sure enough there was a rumble beneath their feet before a quake almost knocked their Garms off balance.

"Get off the surface!" Laura cried and they blasted off back into space where they watched events unfold from above along with the Lionheart.

The barren ground in the centre of the crater was crumbling away as black steel shifted underneath. Miles of buried metal parted like a maw and white rock and dust fell into the open chasm they revealed. When the rumbling finally stopped, a giant circular hole sat at the centre of the crater, large enough to fit a ship.

"Oh my god…" Freya whispered what they were all thinking. "It's a bunker."

"The signal is stronger… the relic is definitely inside," Alice reported, somehow maintaining her cool.

Laura should have been excited, but the back of her mind gnawed with questions. What relic was so important it was hidden in a bunker on the moon? And was it so dangerous that someone tried to blow up the moon just to destroy it? The bad feeling she had was compounded when electricity suddenly rushed through her body and made her hair stand on end.

The technopath remembered all too well the last time she had felt that same experience.

"Captain, detecting energy spike!" the operator's anxious voice confirmed Laura's fears over the com. "From above!"

"Evasive manoeuvres, now!" Milos ordered. "Garm team, get out of th–"

The com crackled and Milo's voice was lost in the static. The next thing Laura knew an all-consuming beam of light plunged down from space, just missing the Garms and the swerving Lionheart by seconds until it plummeted into the lunar surface, sending rock and ash flying in its angry red wake. But the real danger had yet to come – Laura could feel it in her bones. She looked up and saw it, descending from the stars like a bloody angel of death.

The Scarlet Wolf, bearing down on her.

The shocked technopath yanked her controls in time, veering out the path of incoming beams and the Fenrir itself as it zoomed past with a swing of its beamsabre. It had only been a moment, but seeing the red sheen of the Fenrir so close made Laura's blood boil and her veins pumped with adrenaline. The burnout husk of Tully's Garm flashed in her mind and before Laura knew it, she was ramping up her throttle.

"Laura!"

Only the sound of Freya's voice brought her back to her senses and the ace grit her teeth. Her lust for vengeance had almost made her repeat the same mistake as last time.

"Remember our plan, Laura!" Alice entreated her.

Laura relented and released her grip on the throttle, pulling back instead so her Garm joined the others in formation.

"…Let's do it," she whispered, her purple eyes never leaving the speeding red dot of the Fenrir as it linked up with its comrades for a second run. "Lionheart, requesting anti-mobile suit support!"

In the distance, the black cluster of dots chased after their red leader; a pack of ravenous Wargs led into battle by the Scarlet Wolf.

"Our opponent is Vega Aurelia!"

.

* * *

.

When the enemy beam grazed past the Lionheart, causing its hull to shudder and creak, Milos held his breath along with the rest of the bridge. But the moment it was clear they hadn't been vaporised into space dust, the captain barked his commands.

"Prep the main cannon! Prepare to return fire!" he ordered. "Give me a sit-rep, now!"

"Half-a-dozen bandits on radar, but no enemy ship detected!" the operator reported with haste. "Energy spike indicates one cloaked ship!"

"Damn! They must have followed us, waiting while we did the heavy lifting!" Milos slammed his fist on the arm of his chair.

There were still no outright solutions to LIRA's stealth technology – the best the RDF's scientists could come up with was a highly sensitive instrument to detect the energy spike of a beam cannon preparing to fire. It gave them only moments to avoid certain death, but it was better than nothing.

"Get that cannon ready! Helmsman, turn us towards the enemy's last known position!" Milos began barking orders again. "Get ready for it, just like we trained!"

"Main cannon is charged and ready, captain!" Sofia relayed from the weapons consoles nearby, which were manned by several operators.

They were on the defensive, but Milos knew they could still turn the tables. They didn't have to wait long.

"Energy spike detected! Co-ordinates on-screen!"

"Hard to port!"

Milos bellowed the command as soon as he saw the flashing point on the monitor and the Lionheart banked left, narrowly avoiding another massive beam of fire. This time, before the light had even passed by the quivering hull, the captain gripped the arms of his chair and followed up with another command.

"Return fire!" he screamed, making his voice heard through the din.

Blue light burst from underneath the pitched Lionheart, causing it to jolt even more, roaring forward and shooting parallel to the red enemy beam like two bridges of light. If LIRA was invisible to their radar until the moment they fired, then they would exploit that short window of opportunity for maximum damage – detecting and tracking the energy spike with a combination of the latest in computing technology operated by the RDF's most talented technopaths, who would then put a set of co-ordinates on the enemy. From detection to discovery, they managed to do it in a matter of seconds and the Lionheart's targeting computer did the rest.

While the red beam missed and pounded Lenos' battered surface a second time, the blue beam stretched out into space before shimmering and dissipating from view on the monitor. Finally, the hull settled, and Milos clicked his tongue.

"Nothing on radar… we missed," the operator reported the obvious.

"No disruptions in the beam's energy either," Sofia reported next and her red eyes narrowed. "They were ready for us."

Milos nodded and rested his chin in his hands.

"They figured us out after they missed the first time… whoever the captain is, they're good," he said, with almost a hint of admiration. "I doubt they'll give us another chance, but keep the main cannon warm. This will be a drawn-out battle."

"Captain, Garm Team is requesting anti-mobile suit support!" the operator interrupted, and her face went pale. "They're fighting the Scarlet Wolf!"

"What?!" Milos shouted, before regaining his cool. "Commander Gabriel, activate every anti-mobile suit defence we have! Don't underestimate this opponent!"

"Yes, sir!" Sofia responded with almost sadistic glee and directed her subordinates at the weapons console. "Ready the Hellfire missiles! Fire!"

.

* * *

.

The white ship was like none the crew of the Blue Crow had ever seen, but they had already avoided certain death at the hands of its beam cannon twice now. It was the complete opposite of the giant RDF battleships they called flying toasters; it was sleek, compact and agile, and packed its own deadly beam cannon under the hull. Vega would never have thought her first relic hunting mission would encounter, let alone stalk and ambush, such a challenge, but as she was about to discover things were only just getting interesting.

"Major, the commodore told us to exercise caution!" the anxious voice of Ursula warned Vega over the com just as the white ship reappeared on the Fenrir's monitor. "We don't know what it's capable of yet!"

"Then there's only one way to find out," the Scarlet Wolf grinned and pushed down her throttle, speeding ahead of the pack. "We stir the hornet's nest!"

"I think we all saw that coming," Luke quipped, passing Ursula by along with the rest of the Space Wolves. "You really should know better by now, captain."

"Oh, shut up!"

The pilot slammed her thrusters into gear and charged forward back to the major's side where she belonged. The white ship was directly ahead and radar showed it had an escort of only three Garms. It should have been an easy sortie for the Space Wolves – until their sensors began to whine with alarm.

"Missiles! Break!" Vega ordered and their formation scattered in the face of the oncoming projectiles. They should have been clear – but the missiles exploded early, blinding them with thick smoke. The next thing they knew a barrage of beams from the enemy ship's turrets was cutting through the smog with remarkable accuracy and Vega had no doubt their gunners had prepared their sensors in advance.

"Stay calm! Trust your radar and sensors!" Ursula called, and one by one the Space Wolves exited the cloud – only to be confronted by the enemy Garms.

With a barrage of turret beams in front and the Garms surprising them on their flanks, the Wargs struggled in the crossfire. When one had a hole blown through them, exploding into a ball of flame, the others grew wary and regrouped to counterattack. However, the Garms had already retreated, replaced by a second round of heat-seeking missiles and the Wargs scrambled for safety again.

"Andy is down!" Luke shouted over the com, his usually languid expression grimacing as he navigated exploding missiles, smoke and beams. "Captain, that ship and those Garms aren't ordinary! We can't get close!"

"It'll be alright! They're just stalling! Follow the major's orders!" Ursula shouted back, her lips twisting along with her evasive Warg, before she realised something was wrong. "Major?!"

Well, this was a pickle.

No matter where she flew, Vega still found herself lost in the cloud of smoke. Not only had most of the missiles been meant for her, some had been filled with electronic-interfering chaff, explaining why her radar and com had gone haywire. She could only guess where she was going and had no way to contact her squadron.  
Blind and separated from her pack, Vega's instincts screamed trap. An elaborate one. When the barrage of beams from the white ship's turrets stopped firing in her direction, it only heightened her sense of danger.

The lull was short-lived when something like a bolt of lightning struck the ace. Vega sensed a malevolent yet familiar presence. She swerved the Fenrir around, beamsabre drawn and swinging. Red laser collided with blue in a sea of sparks and the Garm that had almost ended the Scarlet Wolf was held at bay – but only just. It must have stalked Vega through the smoke; all this just to kill her.

As they crossed blades, a flicker of recognition flashed behind the eyes of Vega's mask. This tenacity, this well of bottomless talent and spirit; they had met before.

"You…" the Scarlet Wolf whispered, stunned, before her lips curled with glee. "…So, we meet again."

With the Fenrir's superior power, she shrugged off the offending beamsabre, putting the Garm off balance and leaving it open to her blade. The overhead swing missed by inches when the white mobile suit thrusted backwards, firing parting shots as it attempted to flee. But Vega ignited her own thrusters and weaved past, giving chase through the fog lest she was ambushed again.

She had to hand it to the pilot and her friends, crafting this intricate snare. The planning and preparation they must have put in, months after their last encounter at the battle for Lemuria, just waiting for the moment they could execute their revenge on the Scarlet Wolf. And now fate had brought them together again, here off the surface of Lenos. Vega couldn't help but smile.

She would enjoy unravelling everything.

Flexing her technopathic abilities, Vega sifted through the electronic interference in her radar until it was clear as day. Like most feats concerning her abilities, the technopath didn't even know she could do it beforehand; she simply willed it. There, as she suspected – two moving objects threatened to intersect with her up ahead. The Garm was leading her into a pincer attack.

Vega let them believe their plan was working until the last second. When the two Garms burst out of the clouds firing at point-blank, she broke into a red blur, dodging and steering the Fenrir straight into the leftmost enemy. With one swing of her beamsabre she swatted away a beam before it could incinerate a hole through her cockpit and with another cleaved the barrel of the rifle that fired it in two, causing a small explosion. At the same time, she snapped the Fenrir's other arm out in the direction of the second Garm and blind fired her rifle in mid-flight, forcing the would-be ambusher to hide behind their shield as the shots hit with deadly accuracy, despite the Scarlet Wolf not even looking their way.

Vega would have pressed the attack and finished the two Garms off, but that uncanny feeling of lightning struck her again. Following her instincts, she pivoted the Fenrir up and stretched out its leg, kicking the very first Garm in the stomach as it had attempted to dive down on her through the smoke with its beamsabre in mid-swing. The force of the collision had both mobile suits drifting away from one another, before all three Garms reignited their thrusters and retreated back into the clouds. Vega stayed on the tail of the leader, chuckling as she wondered how many contingencies they had planned.

The pair erupted out of the clouds and back into black space at speed, a white and red blur zigzagging just above the lunar surface. Once out of the electronic-interfering smog, the Fenrir's radar and com returned to normal and Vega was immediately beset by a familiar voice.

"-jor! Major Aurelia!" Ursula called, sounding strained and hoarse. "Come in, major!"

"I'm right here, Ursula. You don't have to shout," Vega calmly replied, whilst matching the g-forces of the Garm's evasive manoeuvres.

"Oh, thank god!" her subordinate breathed a sigh of relief before her tone changed completely. "Where have you been?! I've been hailing you nonstop!"

"Glad to know I was missed. If you must know, I was a little occupied."

"Well, so are we! The enemy's anti-mobile suit defences are keeping us at arm's length!" Ursula sighed again and her tone grew sombre. "We lost Andy."

"…Understood," said Vega after a pause. "Fall back and wait for me to return. I just need to tie up a loose end here. In fact, why don't you bring the squad over…"

The two other Garms appeared in her rear-vision and began firing at the Fenrir.

"…I have a pair of admirers here who could use some dissuading."

.

* * *

.

"Laura, where are you going?!"

Freya's frantic voice pounded on Laura's eardrums through the com and the pilot struggled to answer and shake the red mobile suit on her tail. She had left the Lionheart far behind along with the smoke screen they had manufactured for their plan, which was already dissipating, and ahead lay Lenos' lunar landscape which clipped by her hurtling Garm.

"The plan failed, Freya! I'm leading her away!" she yelled back, and her machine shuddered as it swerved side to side. "It's me she wants!"

"Are you crazy?! What can you do alone?"

"Please rethink this, Laura," Alice joined in with her calming voice. "We need a new plan."

Their Garms appeared on the rear vision of Laura's monitor, firing at the Fenrir from behind, but it was obvious their machines were struggling to keep up. Even outnumbered, a technopath like Vega Aurelia could easily turn this situation around and history would just repeat itself. Laura squeezed her controls tight – she couldn't bear to lose another friend. In her dread, the pilot's purple eyes caught sight of the ancient bunker in the middle of the crater and a new plan hastily formed itself.

"Laura, the rest of the Wargs are incoming!" Alice warned her, giving the technopath the push she needed.

"Break off! Retreat to the safety of the Lionheart!" Laura ordered, changing course and steeling herself. "I'll deal with the Scarlet Wolf!"

"You have a plan?"

"A good one."

"No way, Laura! I'm not letting you go by yourself, not again!" Freya blasted her voice over the com and Laura bit her lip, knowing exactly how her friend felt.

"Trust me, Freya… I won't let what happened to Tully happen to me."

"Let's trust Laura, Freya. You know we'll just get in her way," Alice entreated the fiery diva just as her radar was inundated with red dots. "We're out of time."

"Damn it…!" Freya swore, before her angry blue eyes watered and she relented. "You better make it back alive, Laura! I won't forgive you if you don't – you hear me?!"

"Loud and clear," Laura responded and watched as her friends broke off their pursuit of the Fenrir, taking the Wargs back with them to the Lionheart.

Now it was just Vega Aurelia and her. She could see the entrance to the ancient bunker ahead; a black chasm leading under the crater and into the unknown. When Laura was directly above it, she rammed her controls forward and dived into the darkness.

The Scarlet Wolf took the bait and followed close behind, but the technopath had no time to celebrate. As expected of the bunker, it was a maze of ruins inside of abandoned structures and collapsed tunnels, with barely enough room to manoeuvre a mobile suit let alone conduct a high-speed chase. Now Laura had to worry about crashing into fallen pillars or giant outcroppings of moon rock as well as the Fenrir on her tail.

But this was exactly where she wanted the Scarlet Wolf. Now all she needed was to get the timing right – which was proving a tad more difficult than expected.

Even with her Garm's headlights on at full blast, Laura strained her eyes to see what lay ahead in the shadowy labyrinth and her heavy breathing almost fogged up her helmet. She swerved to avoid mountains of rubble, pitched up and over broken columns, and weaved the tightest of paths through tiny openings in the debris. After every heart-pounding obstacle Laura glanced back to find the Fenrir was still right behind her, having navigated the impediments perfectly, and the blonde scowled with maddening rage. It had already sunk in earlier, but this was truly the Scarlet Wolf and not some AI – there would no second chances if her plan failed.

Finally, the walls of the tunnel closed in, while opening up above and below. This was it, Laura realised. Vega Aurelia would meet her end here.

The moment she was clear of the network of ruins, Laura discarded her shield and climbed skywards. Freed of the extra weight, her Garm travelled faster, arcing backwards into a perfect loop as it blasted back in the direction it had come. Meanwhile, the blast shield flew into the Fenrir's path as planned, not only slowing her down but blocking her view of the Garm in the confined space. When the Scarlet Wolf removed the hindrance and saw the white machine headed straight for her, it was too late.

The two mobile suits collided with an almighty crash, rending steel and jolting their occupants like ragdolls, but Laura kept her eyes peeled – she knew she had the momentum and pressed her advantage without mercy. She drove the Fenrir backwards, slamming it into the tunnel wall where she pinned it down and powerful fire sprouted from the Garm's thrusters like blue wings.

"This is for Tully!" Laura cried and expelled all the grief and anger she had felt these past months into a single act of vengeance.

After taking one last look at the Fenrir's helpless face on the monitor, she smashed her fist down on her controls and activated a sequence of commands she had technopathically prepared only moments ago. First, a sequence of numbers began countering down on-screen and the cockpit was bathed in a red glow. Next, Laura braced herself as her seat was ejected from the cockpit along with its pilot.

Outside, part of the Garm's chest armour was expelled and Laura came rocketing out through the gap, rising high above the mobile suits using the thrusters beneath her seat. As she made her escape, the Garm's self-destruct sequence reached zero and the tunnel was flooded with light and fire. Unable to cover her ears, Laura heard the full fury of the explosion and feared either the heat would roast her alive or the tunnel would collapse, before the violent shockwave knocked the pilot out of her ejector seat.

As the somersaulting technopath was flung upwards, she was given a front row seat to the explosion; a golden ball of fire that consumed the very void. Knowing nothing and no one could have survived, Laura finally smiled and let her body float away with the invisible forces, mouthing some parting words in the silence of space.

"I win…"

.

* * *

**END OF EPISODE TWO PART A**

I have no idea where President Winters came from, but I love her.


	4. Episode 02 - Orthrus - Part B

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam.

* * *

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Gundam Gemini

Episode Two

Orthrus

Part B

.

When Vega saw the pilot eject out of the Garm, she knew she was in trouble.

Even without her instruments, the technopath could sense the energy building in the mobile suit as it prepared to self-destruct. The Scarlet Wolf had mere moments to act unless she wanted to become charred dog meat.

The problem was the Fenrir was being pinned down by its arms against the tunnel wall and with the Garm still going at full throttle there was no way to wriggle free. Its pilot had shrewdly grabbed her by the elbows, so Vega couldn't even shoot or slice her way out. Even if she did, the Garm might just plough into her before exploding.

With time running out, the LIRA ace bet on a daring gamble. She focused on her rifle, technopathically building up its beam energy until it overloaded. The resulting explosion tore off the Fenrir's right arm, but was powerful enough to redirect the Garm sideways. Wasting no time, Vega helped it along with a blazing foot thruster to the chest, before kicking off the machine and breaking free.

While the Scarlet Wolf blasted as far away as her thrusters could carry her, the unmanned Garm drove itself into the wall, crashing and scraping along the rock face until it exploded. The overwhelming power and heat it released was only focused by the confined tunnel and Vega broke into a sweat as she struggled to maintain control of the rattling Fenrir. After a hot, bumpy ride, she finally escaped the blast radius and landed on the floor of the tunnel with a long sigh of relief.

Vega had underestimated the young technopath this time. She had desired to continue their duel, but the LIRA ace should have realised the corner she had forced the pilot into. They must have cared a great deal for the friend they had lost above Lemuria, for only a deep desire for vengeance could have driven them to such desperate measures.

The veteran frowned and unconsciously touched her mask through her helmet; she really should have known, but she had been in this war so long even the Scarlet Wolf had forgotten the power of love.

Pushing away old memories, Vega checked her instruments to see what her inattention had brought her. The Fenrir's right arm was gone, of course, and its crimson armour had been charred almost black, marring the new paintjob, but otherwise the mobile suit appeared intact. Still, never before had the Scarlet Wolf been so wounded, both in body and pride, and her reputation as untouchable was now in tatters.

"I hope you can forgive me, Fenrir…" Vega whispered, brushing her hand against the machine as one would pet an animal. She had grown quite fond of her personal mobile suit over the years and considered its pain her own; as if they were one, Ursula would say.

Next, she checked her radio, but as expected this deep underground there was nothing but static. Vega could only hope the others in the Space Wolves were alright, but for now would have to leave them in Ursula's capable hands. She smiled, imagining the dressing down her second would give her when she got back – if she could that was. Not only was this bunker a maze, the explosion may have closed off the exits, leaving her trapped.

As Vega restarted her thrusters and lifted off to the sounds of the Fenrir creaking and groaning, she found herself thinking of the Garm's pilot and wondered if they had survived the blast. Their skills had only grown since their last meeting, she surmised, and in failing to defeat them the Scarlet Wolf may have just raised up a tiger. Recalling back to when they had ejected from their Garm, Vega realised she knew at least one thing about them.

They had the unmistakeable figure of a young woman.

.

* * *

.

When Laura had decided on her plan to kill Vega Aurelia by sacrificing her Garm, she had neglected one tiny detail.

"How the hell do I get out of here…?"

Since barely escaping the explosion with her life, the technopath had drifted through the tunnel until her helmet lights had discovered a small, man-sized opening in the wall. Using the miniature jetpack on her space suit, she had propelled herself inside only to discover another maze of passages made for the bunker's personnel. It wasn't long before Laura got lost and if her oxygen supply wasn't finite, she would have screamed with exasperation.

Without her Garm her suit only had enough power and air for a few more hours, so she had to conserve what she could. But keeping her breathing steady was easier said than done in the face of the dark, abandoned bunker. With only the torch on her helmet as a source of light, Laura floated into the shadows one hop at a time and clutched at icy walls for support, exploring the lifeless ruins for any sign of a way out.

Unnerved by the silence, the orphan distracted herself by thinking of her friends. They must be so worried by now, Milos too, but Laura had promised to come back alive and she couldn't wait to tell the others she had avenged Tully. She was sure Freya would still chew her out though – and speaking of the pink diva, the technopath was reminded how scared she was of ghosts and chuckled imagining her reaction if she were here.

A white figure crossed into the path of Laura's helmet lights and she gasped, slapping her hand to the jetpack buttons on her wrist so she could flee – only to find it was nothing more than a tattered old space suit. The technopath breathed a long sigh, regretting any thoughts of Freya or ghosts. She pushed past and found other ancient debris floating inside the rooms; helmets, chairs, utensils and other signs of human habitation – but none of the humans themselves, living or otherwise.

If the Lemurians had built this bunker they were long gone, perhaps escaping whatever had made that giant crater. Laura wished Milos, Junko or Alice were here so she could make sense of it, if not for their knowledge of Lemurian relics and archaeology then for their company, because the longer she was in this tomb the more chills she got.

Finally, at the end of a long corridor, Laura spied a sliver of light. She raced towards it, almost as if swimming to the surface of a lake for precious oxygen. What she found was a round airlock and light was pouring in through a gap in its side. Positioning herself between the wall and the door, Laura braced her back and pushed with her legs, forcing the steel hatch to groan until it rolled out of the way. Bright light flooded through the corridor and the pilot shielded her purple eyes with an outstretched arm – before they ballooned with awe.

Past the airlock was a yawning cavern within the moon, a vast underground world hidden by the bunker, carved out of white moonrock and held up by hundreds of unnatural obelisks that rose like a city of skyscrapers. Laura was only able to witness the full majesty of the cavern because of the series of intense lights adorning the curved ceiling and each obelisk, powered by some unknown power source. Perhaps a nuclear reactor, reactivated when she had first opened the bunker, the technopath told herself once she had calmed down enough from her initial shock.

Casting her eyes back from the cyclopean city of stone lest she went mad, Laura checked her immediate vicinity and saw what appeared to be ancient mining and drilling equipment. Age and rust had made the giant machines inoperable, but they gave a clue as to how the cavern was formed or expanded from an existing hollow. Was the bunker on Lenos a Lemurian mine? Or an attempt at establishing a moon colony? The questions gnawed at Laura, but it hardly mattered if she couldn't live to tell the tale and she searched the graveyard of machines again for anything she could use.

That's when she saw it, straight ahead, leaning against a lone obelisk of ivory.

A mobile suit.

Laura couldn't believe her frozen eyes, but as she floated closer, propelled by her jetpack, there was no mistake. The tall humanoid machine was like no model she had ever seen, neither a bulky Garm nor a lean Warg, but something in between. Its thick and powerful legs hinted at advanced rocket thrusters beneath, the armoured torso looked solid enough to brush off beamsabres yet was still streamlined for flight, weighty arms hung off its oversized shoulders like compact weapons, and its square head was fashioned to appear as if it wore the helmet of an eastern warrior. Strangest of all, the mobile suit was still a pristine white and looked perfectly new, oblivious to the antiquity surrounding it.

When Laura finally reached the alien machine she paused under its chest, floating with her mouth agape, studying and admiring its design and construction. It was both magnificent and formidable all at once, she thought, and only looked to be asleep as it rested against the obelisk. In particular, the mobile suit appeared to be made entirely of an unknown metal and the technopath found her hand reaching out to touch it.

As soon as she made contact, an invisible current jumped through Laura's space suit and up into her head, overloading her not with electricity but images and information. The technopath pulled back and gazed up again at the face of the mobile suit with a renewed look of awe in her stunned purple eyes.

The white mobile suit was a Lemurian relic, the very thing they had come to find on Lenos, whose signal had led them to the bunker. Laura had found it.

She had only connected with it once, but the technopath already knew this was a relic of vital significance. She could not let it fall into LIRA's hands. Finally taking stock of the relic's surroundings, Laura noticed the obelisk had been some kind of make-shift hangar and the column was lit-up with instruments and equipment. Following the lights, she saw multiple cables sticking out of the rock and into the mobile suit's back that seemed to buzz and hum with electricity. The pilot's lips slowly curled into a smile.

This just might be her ticket out of here.

Jetting her way back to the relic's chest in a hurry, Laura touched it and communicated her commands. A moment later there was a hydraulic hiss and the centre section of the chest armour swung open, falling like a drawbridge and revealing the cockpit. Peering inside with her helmet lights, the technopath performed a cursory check before pushing herself inside.

Laura feared she would find the remains of the previous pilot, but discovered nothing but an empty chair. The faded seat had seen better days, but it would have to do and she strapped herself in. The cockpit door closed, ushering in complete but momentary darkness before the lights flickered back on, exposing a sight that stole its occupant's breath away.

Whereas a Garm had several large monitors stitched together to receive visual information from the head sensor, the relic had one long panoramic monitor curving around almost the entire cockpit. Not only that, the inside was far more spacious than the cramped death traps Laura was used to, forming a perfect sphere she suspected could be jettisoned on command. As for the controls, they were more similar than she had expected, but performed a quick inspection anyway.

Hand controls, check. Foot pedals, check. Throttle, check. Instruments within sight and reach, check. After squeezing the controls and working the pedals a few more times, Laura was satisfied everything was in order and turned her attention to the mobile suit CPU. Flipping the red and most conspicuous switch on, the cockpit hummed with energy before the panoramic monitor lit up with a white screen – and proceeded to be littered with red error windows.

Laura swore and brought up the keyboard, which she began tapping at incessantly. Whatever had happened to the relic, it had scrambled its operating system and the technopath had no choice but to try and rebuild it. Thankfully, Rem still retained the same language as the Lemurians, but there was so much information even a technopath like Laura was having trouble deciphering and sorting it all – it would take days to go through everything.

Reminding herself she only needed to get the relic up and flying to escape the bunker, Laura focused on retrieving only the most necessary functions back online. Soon the panoramic monitor flickered before bursting with colour, showing the cavern outside in perfect detail, and as the technopath worked more instruments began to light up. There was still the engine and thrusters to put in order, but the system was like nothing Laura had ever seen before and she was constantly distracted by the genius of its design – by the thought of what this mobile suit must be capable of.

Amidst the lines of blurred code she failed to comprehend, a few words stood out and caused the young woman to pause.

"Orthrus Gundam…" she read, staring at the letters. "Is that your name?"

Laura's attention was diverted when something began beeping repeatedly inside the cockpit and she spun around searching for the source. She found it coming from the radar, which in turn had found something else – a moving red blip. Something big was out there and it was closing in.

A terrible premonition entered Laura's mind and she found herself waiting with bated breath. When the interloper finally appeared on screen, gliding into view like a bloody apparition, her head shook with wide-eyed disbelief.

"No… that's impossible...!" she whispered, thumping the arms of her chair with tight, trembling fists, but nothing could shake the numbness spreading throughout her body.

The mobile suit on her monitor was missing an arm and almost charred black, but there was no mistaking the distinct red coat that remained or that demonic head. Laura couldn't deny what she saw and the truth slowly sunk in like a reopened wound. The Fenrir had survived and Vega Aurelia with it.

The Scarlet Wolf lived.

When the shock had passed, Laura's gaping mouth clenched into an angry grimace, enraged not only because Tully's killer still lived but also because she had failed to avenge her again. Frustration couldn't even begin to describe what she was feeling; she had thrown everything at Vega Aurelia, including an exploding Garm, and it still hadn't been enough. Just what would it take?

Why couldn't she kill her?

That was when Laura's hateful glare caught sight of something and her depressed lips coiled with restrained glee. The Fenrir must have detected the relic as well, for it was moving towards her on the monitor – and it was limping.

The Scarlet Wolf was wounded.

Not only one-armed and weapon-less, but flying at reduced speed and power. She may have survived the explosion, but she had not gotten off lightly.

And here Laura was inside the most advanced mobile suit she had ever seen, the relic in perfect condition but for its impaired operating system. Her restrained smile transformed into a full-blown smirk and everything she felt before was washed away.

She would never get another chance like this.

The technopath's fingers went to work, beating down on the keyboard like relentless hail. As she raced to fix the relic's OS before the Fenrir reached her, Laura felt her technopathic abilities focus like never before and she fixed line after line of broken code with ease. With her unblinking eyes, she checked between the moving wall of script and the red mobile suit closing in on her.

It was going to be neck and neck.

"Just a little more…" Laura muttered, watching as the Fenrir reached out with its one arm to touch the relic. "…Got it!"

With that exclamation, Laura slammed her palm down on the console. The relic's eyes, which had been cast in shadow for centuries, lit up like a pair of stars. Sensing danger, the pilot of the Fenrir thrusted backwards and found herself watching in awe as the white giant rose from its slumber.

"Go, Orthrus!" Laura screamed, and behind her the cockpit instruments began to glow as the engine whirled to life.

She pushed the controls forward and the mobile suit responded, advancing one step with its giant legs and crushing the cavern floor with a tremor. With the second step, it pulled taut at the power cables tethering its body to the obelisk before breaking free of them in a series of ear-splitting cracks. As the cables whipped around behind it, the groaning coming from the Orthrus' joints lessened until it sounded like a well-oiled machine.

Seeing the battered Fenrir frozen in place, Laura imagined the stunned look on Vega Aurelia's face and grinned. After one last check of her instruments, she rammed the throttle forward and the thrusters on the Orthrus' back ignited, forming a scorching blue inferno. The white machine let loose like a flaming arrow, shooting straight into the path of the Scarlet Wolf.

Only to veer off completely and crash into the cavern wall.

.

* * *

.

The moment Vega saw the relic charge, her senses were jolted by a familiar presence and immediately she knew who was inside the mobile suit.

So she had survived.

The ace braced for impact, only to be bewildered when the white machine flew straight past her and smashed into solid rock. Another pilot might pass it off as the antics of a clumsy flier and their accident-prone machine, but Vega knew better. The power alone in those thrusters was enough to put her on guard.

"For once, I might be at a disadvantage…" the Scarlet Wolf whispered, keeping her distance as she watched the enemy pull themselves from the rubble.

Inside the Orthrus, a dizzy Laura groaned and shook herself awake. That was way more powerful than she had expected and she had missed the Fenrir completely. Undaunted, the technopath made a few adjustments to the OS with one hand and piloted the Orthrus about face with the other.

"Let's try this again," she said, muttering a prayer under her breath before taking hold of the throttle once more.

The Orthrus blasted off and this time she almost clipped the Fenrir, who pivoted out of the way at the last second. Avoiding a repeat of her first assault, Laura eased up on the throttle and arced back, again piloting with one hand and making adjustments with the other. Only when the Fenrir was in her sights did she go at full speed again, bearing down on the Scarlet Wolf like a white comet on blue fire.

The speeding relic would surely have shattered what was left of the Fenrir, but Vega danced away at the last second again, like a bullfighter – and swung a flaming red beamsabre into her opponent. Laura banked right in a panic, saved only by the Orthrus' uncanny agility as the blade missed by nanometres, and slammed into one of the obelisks. She cursed, realising Vega had goaded her into thinking she was unarmed, and looked up to find the Fenrir charging in to finish the job.

The neon beamsabre came down and Laura pushed off the obelisk, letting the stone pillar take a nasty gash in her place. The Fenrir chased after her and the Orthrus dodged swing after swing with liberal use of its reverse thrusters. She may only have one arm, but the Scarlet Wolf's swordsmanship was pushing the technopath backwards. A weapon, Laura thought as she narrowly avoided being skewered with the hot oversized poker, she needed a weapon – she knew she had seen something when she was repairing the OS.

The Orthrus suddenly hit a dead end and found itself backed up against another obelisk. Vega pounced and went for the killing blow – only to be parried at the last moment by the relic's own blue beamsabre. As Laura suspected, the Orthrus had at least one weapon – and only one.

"Thank god it still works," she muttered through gritted teeth while wrestling with the Fenrir.

But this was no time to celebrate the marvels of Lemurian engineering. Laura applied more power to the Orthrus' arms and pushed the crimson beamsabre back with her own, throwing a punch with its free arm when she saw her chance.

Vega boosted backwards easily, letting her opponent swipe air, and landed with her beamsabre at the ready. The relic had power, but as she had observed its pilot was unfamiliar with its workings. Instinct told the Scarlet Wolf she should finish this while that remained so and she leapt back into the fray.

Although now armed with a beamsabre, it was all Laura could do to fend off the onslaught of the Fenrir's blade, which danced in the hands of the Scarlet Wolf. The blazing sword slashed high and low, sending the Orthrus scrambling backwards with clumsy steps, and when she tried to counterattack her arms felt slow and heavy. It was ironic, because if Laura was piloting her Garm she was sure she would put up more of a fight – but here she was with two usable arms to the Fenrir's one and losing. The technopath fumed at the realisation and began hammering at her keyboard again with one hand while piloting with the other.

As the fight wore on, Vega couldn't believe what she was seeing. The white mobile suit's reaction time was improving by the second, bending and rotating its joints fractions faster to match the Fenrir. It had deflected her beamsabre with perfect timing, gyrating its hips to redirect the power of her strike, before countering with a cohesive snap of its shoulders, arms and wrist so that the suit's entire body was behind its beamsabre swing.

As Vega dashed backwards to avoid the air-rending slash of azure fire, she knew exactly what was happening. This level of synchronisation between pilot and mobile suit and the rapid new efficiency in its movements could only mean one thing.

"She's recalibrating it as we fight…!" Vega exclaimed with quiet awe, picturing the image of the enemy pilot multitasking quite accurately. "Well, two can play at that."

Whipping out her own keyboard, Vega input some commands before firing up the Fenrir's thrusters and taking off into the air. Laura followed at once, determined not to the let the Scarlet Wolf get away this time, and the Orthrus' engine revved with power as it took flight. The mobile suits became a pair of soaring red and blue lights, illuminating the underground cavern with their radiance as they weaved through the city of cyclopean obelisks like fireflies.

Navigating the towering blocks streaming past on the Fenrir's monitor with one hand, Vega calmly operated her console with the other and rerouted all power to her thrusters. Behind her the Orthrus gave chase, scrambling to keep sight of the red machine corner after corner and not spin out of control. With every junction the g-forces pushed Laura side to side and she struggled to constantly reconfigure the unbalanced thrusters lest she crash into one of the obelisks. What should have taken days of trial and error to calibrate was managed in a few minutes by the technopath in the heat of battle and soon the relic was accelerating through the tight turns with increasing smoothness.

But the Rem pilot paid for her distraction after the next bend, braking and sliding around the obelisk to find the Fenrir nowhere to be seen – not until a red foot fell down on her from above. In a manoeuver mimicking what Laura had done with her Garm, Vega had pulled up the moment she was out of view, accelerating towards the cavern roof before coiling backwards and diving straight where she predicted the Orthrus would appear. The Fenrir connected with the mobile suit's back with a devastating crunch, braking on impact to transfer maximum force, kicking the relic out of the air and into a spiralling freefall.

Laura's cockpit spun like she was caught in a tornado with the addition of screaming alarms and instruments, but she held firm to her controls and powered up her throttle. When the Orthrus' stabilizing thrusters burst with fire all at once, the spinning stopped and the monitor cleared – only for it to display a solid wall of rock straight ahead. The technopath gasped and yanked her controls, trying to veer left, but she was coming in too fast.

In an act of desperation Laura stuck the Orthrus' right arm out, clenched her teeth and braced. The arm and the beamsabre it held buried themselves into the rock face, jolting the mobile suit and its pilot like a runaway train as it was struck, but by some miracle the limb was not torn off and was instead dragged across the obelisk. Although spared from a fiery crash at the expense of its appendage, the relic still bowled along at speed and ripped up a trail of stone and sparks in its wake.

Laura's face contorted as she wrestled with her controls, but she couldn't pull the raging Orthrus free from the rock. A red blur caught her eye and the Fenrir appeared at the other end of the obelisk, blazing towards her like a hawk swooping on its prey. The Scarlet Wolf had its beamsabre drawn back and ready, heralding her explicit intention of slicing the Orthrus in two when they passed.

With her quarry snared and helpless on her monitor, Vega smelt blood and gunned down her throttle. Laura wrenched her controls and banged on her console, her furrowed brow dripping with sweat while her panicked eyes shot looks between the Orthrus' trapped arm and the red executioner charging straight at her. A heart-stopping moment later, the scarlet and white giants met like two jousting knights.

The Fenrir swung its beamsabre, a potent blade with the power of all its gathered speed behind it. Laura followed the path of its dreadful red glow with wide-eyed terror and leaned on her controls one last time. Finally, the Orthrus' right arm throbbed and erupted from its stone prison, benevolent blue beamsabre and all.

It was only for a sliver of an instant, but the two swords clashed, disintegrating the cloud of rock and dust scattered from the obelisk. A fraction of a second later, the Fenrir whizzed past and the Orthrus was left intact. A sigh of relief escaped Laura's lips, only for the pilot to suck in air again when something collided with her from behind.

It was the Scarlet Wolf, somehow having doubled back already and nipping at her heels.

"Impossible… how can it still fly like that?!" Laura hissed and glared at the blackened machine as she dodged another slash.

Inside the Fenrir, Vega smiled, imagining the enemy pilot's confusion as she drummed away at her keyboard. It was a simple matter really; all she had to do was override the Fenrir's safety features and manually power the thrusters to their absolute limit. This allowed her to move in any direction instantaneously, performing impossible manoeuvers such as a rolling turn back in the other direction. The drawback was the toll the g-forces placed on her body but, against the opponent before her, the technopath had no qualms.

When the white mobile suit tried to break away from the obelisk into open space, Vega darted into their path. They traded blows, but with her back to the wall, Laura felt the disadvantage. Time and time again she tried to slip out, but the Fenrir kept her boxed in, hounding the Orthrus with impossible bursts of speed followed by blinding swordplay.

Wielding her beamsabre with only one arm, the Scarlet Wolf rendered the gap between them into an impassable barrier of neon strikes, raking and shredding moon stone as she chased her prey all along the ravaged obelisk. Vega gave no quarter and by staying close with an aggressive assault would not allow the relic any chance to use its powerful thrusters. Laura scrambled point to point, evading the Fenrir's blade, but was always between it and cold stone.  
Unable to gather speed or find an exit, the technopath's frustration grew, until she stormed straight into the Scarlet Wolf. Their blades crossed, fusing together into a tempest of sparks, but Vega had the momentum and rammed the Orthrus into the obelisk with a shuddering boom. The crimson beamsabre edged dangerously close on Laura's monitor, forcing the pilot to put her free arm in the way and the metal forearm singed as it was a seared with a melting red line.

Vega pressed forward, redirecting all power to her thrusters until a mighty inferno raged from the Fenrir's back. Laura dialled up her own throttle in response and billowing azure flames escaped from behind the trapped Orthrus. The roar of the two mobiles suits locked in combat was deafening and the air was charged with thick, overflowing energy, the intensity of which caused the hair of the pilots stand on end.

For a mysterious moment, Laura and Vega sensed one another through their machines, like a technopathic connection, and they wrestled mentally as well as physically for dominance – but neither would budge.

The stalemate was only broken when an ominous rumble reached through the blare of engines and into their cockpits like rolling thunder. Laura and Vega both looked up to the roof of the cavern, instinctively waiting for an improbable crack of lightning and their faces were etched with shock when they actually heard it – only it came from below. The long jagged trench the Orthrus had carved with its arm and beamsabre visibly widened, fracturing into hundreds of more fissures as it was aided by the push of their thrusters. The suffering the scarred obelisk had endured throughout their battle finally took its toll and the construct could literally stand it no longer.

With a long thunderous boom, the entire pillar shifted forward as it collapsed – right on top of the duelling technopaths. But in the low gravity environment of the moon, the lumbering tower fell at a snail's pace, almost floating downward like a cloud as it grinded against its broken lower half. A white haze of dust poured out as the obelisk descended only for it to be blown away by the screaming exhausts of the mobile suits still locked in battle.

Even as the mass of rock pushed the pair backwards, Vega refused to concede her hard-fought advantage and tried to crush the relic between the falling obelisk and her beamsabre. Only when a hail of jagged stone broke away from the ceiling did she kick in her reverse thrusters and the Scarlet Wolf narrowly avoided being squashed by a falling boulder. Without the Fenrir to block its path the Orthrus took off, leaving a burnt-out crater on the obelisk and slicing through the rain of rubble to safety.

The pilots ended up on opposite sides of the yawning pillar and found themselves watching with terror as it plummeted in slow motion – and collided into another obelisk. With a mighty series of cracks, each column broke up into several pieces and shattered into a thousand more, before the largest blocks flew into other obelisks and the process repeated itself. Slowly but surely the cyclopean city fell like a host of frail white dominoes and a cloud of dust began to rise from the depths of the quaking cavern.

Without the support of the obelisks, the roof of the cavern began to crumble and pierced the dust cloud below with falling rubble, taking the faded bulbs of the giant lights with them. In the increasing darkness with only the glow of their beamsabres for light, Laura and Vega thought they would be buried alive in the cave-in – until they saw what appeared to be daylight coming out of a hole in the collapsing ceiling. At first their spirits lifted, only to simultaneously snipe a guarded look at the other challenger across the way.

Hands darted to their throttles and they blasted off at the same time, leaving a blaze of furious twin streaks in their wake. Like bolts of azure and crimson lightning, they zigzagged past falling rubble and cleaved through giant boulders, colouring the blackness of the cavern as they raced for the exit. However, the dire circumstances did little to deter their duel and the darkness flickered with the sparks of their clashing beamsabres as they jostled for the lead.

In the midst of their struggle a colossal shadow cast over them, blocking out the light at the end of the tunnel and bathing the mobile suits in night. They pushed off each other, splitting into red and blue lines and watching as the remains of an obelisk dropped between them. But the moment it passed they were back at each other's throats, spiralling like two intertwined serpents as they shoved, kicked and hacked at one another.

They were still fighting when they erupted out of Leno's surface at high velocity and soared back into starry space with the eclipsing glow of yellow Lemuria behind them. Below, the cavity through which they had made their escape crumbled along with the immediate lunar landscape, taking the cavern and its mysteries with it. But the two rivals barely noticed as they continued their duel in open space.

"…aura… com… in… aura…"

The semblance of a voice began to filter through the static of the Orthrus' radio and Laura kept one eye on the Fenrir harrying her on the monitor while inputting her RDF frequency.

"…aura… Come in, Laura! Is that you in that thing?"

"This is Laura!" the technopath replied straight away upon hearing Freya's welcome voice. "Yes, it's me! I'm piloting the relic!"

"What?!" Freya exclaimed, before her tenor changed completely. "Wait a second, don't you know how worried we've bee–"

"Laura!" the unmistakable voice screaming into the technopath's ear and causing her to wince was Milos. "Stay right where you are, the Lionheart will come and pick you up!"

"Milos! What's the situation? Is everyone alright?"

"We're fine, Laura. We've been holding off LIRA since you went underground," the serene tone of Alice informed her, before she sighed with emotion. "It's so good to hear your voice, Laura. Freya was fraught with worry."

"I was not!" the pink diva finally interjected, whipping them with her high-pitched voice. "Laura, are you seriously going to fight the Scarlet Wolf in that piece of junk? Are you insane?!"

"I have her, Freya!" Laura managed to shout and dodge a beamsabre to her cockpit at the same time. "I don't have time to explain, but I have her! With this mobile suit, Vega Aurelia is mine!"

"Wait, Laura! Don't be hasty!"

Freya pleaded, but her warnings fell on deaf ears; Laura only had eyes for the enemy before her. With purple orbs narrowed in concentration and mouth set with determination, the technopath entered a fervent state and blocked everything out but for the red mobile suit charging at her. She met the challenge head-on, propelling the Orthrus forward on blazing blue thrusters for the inevitable clash – only to barrel-roll at the last second.

The rapid manoeuver caught Vega unawares and she swung at empty space. Her upside-down opponent had no such misjudgement and severed the Fenrir's remaining arm with perfect calculation. The limb went flying, but before the Scarlet Wolf's expression could even register with wide-eyed shock, the white relic finished its barrel-roll off with a spinning kick to the Fenrir's back.

The red mobile suit plummeted like a falling meteor and smashed into the moon, leaving a scorching trench as it skidded along the lunar surface. The ordeal shook Vega like a martini until the screech of warping steel finally came to a halt and the winded pilot had to summon the energy to operate her controls. But the Fenrir barely responded and lay twitching on its back, the charred and bent machine almost made derelict by all the damage it had shouldered, and Vega scrambled to regain its functions.

"Major! Major Aurelia!" the voice of one of the Space Wolves managed to patch through to the Fenrir's com and Vega listened while she mashed her keyboard looking for a workaround to her power problems. "Hold on, major! We're coming to assist!"

When the radar began to beep with bodies, the colour drained from her features.

"No! Stay back!" Vega ordered, but it was no good – the damaged com could only receive.

Just as she feared, the two Wargs arrived from space in time to intercept the white relic before it reached the Fenrir. Though they may be fresh and armed with beam rifles, the Scarlet Wolf knew all too well how this would end and she was powerless to stop it.

"Out of my way!"

Laura screamed at the obstacles standing between her and her revenge, and the Orthrus' thrusters flared with cerulean wings as it weaved through a volley of beam fire. By the time the Warg pilots realised the mysterious white mobile suit closing in on them with rapid agility might have superior specs to their own, it was too late. With her gathered speed, Laura tore through the belly of the first Warg and impaled the second from behind with her beamsabre, letting them explode in succession before turning on the immobile Fenrir.

Vega grimaced at having to witness the demise of two of her pilots, but their sacrifice would not be in vain. With the precious seconds they had bought for her, the technopath found a way to reroute power in the Fenrir and blasted off her self-made crater – just before a blue beamsabre stabbed into the moon rock. Manually firing whatever thrusters still worked so that the armless Fenrir floated upright, Vega faced off against her merciless opponent in one last bout of life or death.

The vulnerable sight of the Fenrir unleashed a furious bloodlust in Laura and she rushed in with a savage war cry. After all the Scarlet Wolf's miraculous escapes, she knew this was the one – Vega Aurelia was at the end of her rope and Laura's best chance to avenge Tully had finally arrived. The Orthrus' beamsabre was already in motion across the monitor, razing a neon blue trail as it neared the red shell of the once feared mobile suit, which was attempting a futile retreat.

The Fenrir puffed backwards, its damaged thrusters either sputtering or dead. Too slow, thought Laura, seizing the moment with a predator's fiery gaze. She swung her beamsabre down with everything she had into a powerful, unavoidable strike.

It should have been the last thing the Scarlet Wolf ever saw.

Without warning, the Fenrir's thrusters burst back to life, sending it somersaulting backwards. The red machine pointed its feet straight out, as if to kick the Orthrus, but its timing was off. Laura chalked it up to a last act of desperation – until she remembered this was Vega Aurelia she was dealing with.

At that very thought, the plates on the Fenrir's shins ruptured and erupted with twin rays of crimson light.

Beamsabres, hidden in its legs.

Laura pulled back the moment she saw the flaming red footscythes, but Vega had timed her gambit perfectly and the technopath cursed her stupidity. With a mere flick of her foot the Scarlet Wolf disintegrated the beamsabre hanging over her, snuffing out its azure glow while the weapon was still in the Orthrus' hand, before aiming her other foot at the relic's cockpit – all in a matter of seconds.

For what seemed a terrifying age, Laura shrunk in her seat with bated breath as solid steel was literally boiled and melted metres away in front of her, baking the pilot in her own cockpit. She finally exhaled when the buzz of the beamsabre continued grinding upwards instead – until it pierced the Orthrus' head unit. The monitor went black, sending the technopath back into a panic.

By this stage, the Orthrus' reverse thrusters had finally kicked in and it leapt backwards to safety. From there Laura worked her console, breathing hard as the monitor flickered in and out, but the sensors had been thoroughly burnt. All she could make out was the Fenrir standing its ground with its deadly footscythes at the ready.

The impasse caused the technopath to bite her lip and she weighed her options, knowing Vega Aurelia was doing exactly the same. The Orthrus was unarmed and its sensors were rapidly deteriorating, but the Fenrir had no arms and was barely functioning. Or was it? Laura couldn't be sure what other tricks the Scarlet Wolf had hidden up her sleeve – the footscythes alone had almost undone her. Logic dictated she had only one rational choice.

Withdraw.

Laura discarded the idea in an instant, her body physically rejecting the very notion of running with a shake of her blonde head. Instead, her purple eyes glared at the object of her revenge on the monitor with defiance and the sound of heavy breathing filled the cockpit.

She was so close; Laura could taste Vega's demise. If she let this chance go, she may never get another.

"Laura!"

In the midst of her dilemma, someone called her name. It sounded like Freya.

"The Lionheart is here, Laura! Get out of there! Now!"

Freya's agitated voice seemed distracted and the com crackled. She and Alice must still be holding off the other Wargs, Laura realised.

"No… not yet!" she cried, shaking all over. "I'm not finished here!"

"There's no time, Laura!" Alice pleaded, her usually calm voice yelling with worry. "LIRA's fleet saw through our bluff! Reinforcements are incoming!"

"No! Vega Aurelia is still alive!" Laura's speech trembled and she slammed her fist onto the Orthrus' console. "I can do this! I can avenge Tully! I–"

"Laura Hartmann…"

The deep voice that finally calmed Laura was that of her father, Milos, and the technopath froze.

"Come back to us, Laura. Don't make us bury another friend," the captain entreated his daughter, somehow keeping his tone even in the circumstances. "Your chance will come, but first you need to live to fight another day…. that's an order."

Laura took a moment for Milo's words to seep in before she drew a long breath and buried the fire raging inside her body. As much as it pained her, her adoptive father was right; it would be no revenge if she died along with Vega, only another tragedy, and she had promised Freya it was one that would not be repeated. Not only that, a red warning light began flashing on one of the instruments and Laura realised the Orthrus was running out of power.

The ancient relic had already taken her as far as it could, which made her next actions all the easier on her drained mind.

"This is Laura Hartmann… returning to the Lionheart with the relic," she finally broke the silence and answered, much to the relief of everyone.

The technopath gave the Fenrir on the monitor one last look before tearing her purple eyes away, but not before muttering something under her breath.

"Just you wait, Vega. I will get you one day… I swear it."

Vow made, Laura rocketed off the lunar surface and piloted the Orthrus straight to the Lionheart, which was already passing by above Lenos.

She didn't look back.

.

* * *

.

Once she saw the back of the Rem ship carrying the relic speed away, only then did Vega breath a prolonged sigh of relief. She released her technopathic grip on the Fenrir's systems and the machine powered down with a whine, including the monitor and the beamsabres on its legs which extinguished themselves. Thank god she had had them installed after her run-in with the Garm that grappled with her during Operation Eclipse; they were meant to be a handy little trump card should Vega find herself in another bind.

But even they had almost not been enough and Vega went into a cold sweat checking her instruments again, the only sources of light in the darkness. Despite all the damage to the Fenrir its life support was still functioning, but the same could not be said for its power reserves which had been reduced to zero. In other words, the Scarlet Wolf had been running on fumes towards the end and it was all Vega could do to keep the beamsabres fired up to fool the enemy pilot.

Fortunately, her bluff had worked – but only just. Leaning back in her chair, Vega stared into the black mirror of her monitor while recalling the duel that had taken place. It was the closest to death she had ever come, yet somehow fighting for her life for once had been rather thrilling. The Lemurian Conflict, which the Scarlet Wolf admittedly cruised through, suddenly became quite challenging.

"Major Aurelia!" Ursula's shrill voice called out for Vega over the mended com, no doubt alarmed to see the Fenrir in such a state. "Are you alright, major?"

"Still in rude health, as you can hear, Ursula," Vega replied, smiling when she heard a sigh of relief. "Are you still alive too, Luke? Some assistance back to the Blue Crow would be appreciated – that relic did quite a number to my poor Fenrir."

"To think they got even you, major," Luke spoke with rare disbelief as he and Ursula landed on the moon to tow the Fenrir away. "Not only did they kill three of our own, they got away with the relic to boot. Command is not going to be happy."

"What was that relic anyway, major? Was it really a mobile suit?"

Vega pondered Ursula's question and thought back to before the duel, when the Fenrir had touched the sleeping relic. She had been too occupied by the battle that followed, but she had made a technopathic connection in that moment – a short-lived link, but a connection nevertheless. Of the mass of information that flowed into her mind, she was able to recall two possibly valuable items of interest.

One was a map.

The other was a name.

"Orthrus Gundam…" Vega whispered with wonder, to the confusion of her two comrades.

They could not see, but behind the Scarlet Wolf's mask her eyes lit up like the stars.

.

* * *

.

When the Lionheart was safely far away from Lenos and the Lux fleet with no pursuers in sight, Freya and Alice ceased their escort duty and docked their Garms back into the hangar bay with haste. The sight that awaited them there was one they would never forget.

"Laura!"

The girl in question turned to find Freya and Alice floating down from their cockpits and she opened her arms to receive their embrace. She was already half out of her spacesuit, the top half of which hung behind her, and her necklace popped out as the three collided.

"You idiot! Don't you dare do anything like that ever again!" Freya chastised the blonde even as she hugged her tight.

"I'll try," Laura joked, getting a good whiff of the diva's shampoo, before pulling back and speaking seriously. "…I almost had her, Freya. The Orthrus just might be more powerful than the Fenrir."

"The Orthrus?" Alice cocked her head and grinned. "Is that what you named the relic?"

"What's an Orthrus?" Freya asked, puzzled.

"A two-headed dog," Milos answered for her, floating down to the girls from behind. The orphans forgot to salute as usual, but he decided to let it pass for today. "A hound from hell, as the myth goes."

Together, the four looked up at the relic standing before them in the dock once reserved for Laura's departed Garm. Even damaged it was still white and magnificent and all the crew not on duty had come down to look at it. Some floated around the mobile suit, touching it, but one very curious mechanic was already inside the cockpit, shouting her findings like a madwoman.

"Oh my god, Laura! This is amazing!" Junko shouted down to the others, watching them from the Orthrus' monitor as she explored the relic's systems by running her rapid fingers over the keyboard. "I can't believe I'm linking up with the OS of a Lemurian relic centuries old! How did you even pilot this? Wait, did you calibrate it on the fly? And what is this thing made of?"

"It's Gundanium…" Superintendent Moses revealed, running his hand down the Orthrus' leg, and the big man had a rare expression of shock. "It's an incredibly rare metal we know the Lemurians used all the time, but we can barely find any these days, let alone process it."

The revelation only got Junko squealing louder with delight and the girls laughed.

"Try not to blow a gasket in there, Junko!" Laura shouted, grinning, and Milos took the opportunity to put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm glad you came back, Laura."

The pilot looked up and saw the relief in her father's dark eyes.

"Me too… captain," she nodded.

"Excellent work, Ensign Hartmann," Sofia's voice surprised them from behind. Milos took his hand away and the four instantly stood to attention as the demon commander joined them.

"To think that the very first discovery of our mission would be this," she continued, admiring the Orthrus with her red eyes. "With this relic, we might be able to improve Rem's mobile suit technology."

"I think we can do more than that," Laura whispered aloud so only her friends could hear and they shared a knowing look.

But for now, the Scarlet Wolf could wait.

"…Hey, what's this?"

"What is it?"

Laura answered Junko's call and floated back into the cockpit to see. Displayed on the monitor, unearthed through the mechanic's detailed examination of the Orthrus' memory banks, was the beginning of the next stage of their adventure.

A star map.

.

**END OF EPISODE TWO PART B**

* * *

Next Episode Preview

LAURA: _With the Orthrus Gundam I can finally fight the Scarlet Wolf on equal footing and avenge Tully! Wait, what was that, Junko? I can't pilot it without permission from the president? But that star map is already pointing the Lionheart to another relic!_

_ Next time, on Gundam Gemini:_

_ The White Hellhound._

_ Just what other secrets are you hiding, Orthrus?_

* * *

Notes: The second round of Laura and Vega's fight just kept growing! The Lovecraftian cavern came out of nowhere!

To anyone who's read this far, thank you so much! I'd love to hear from you, so please comment or review!


	5. Episode 03 - The White Hellhound

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam

Notes: Thanks again to LoneWulffe for being my pseudo-beta reader, I don't thank her enough!

Under 10k words this time, so the episode has not been split up.

* * *

Gundam Gemini

Episode Three

The White Hellhound

.

"Excellent work, captain."

The pleased voice purred like a cat in Milo's private quarters, but to his ears the owner was more akin to a scheming lioness. The impeccable image of President Winters was beaming on his desk monitor, clear evidence the politician was up to no good. Due to the distance from Rem, the secure video-feed was hazy and heavily delayed, but the captain could still make out his commander-in-chief's perfect white teeth.

"Admiral Barton just briefed me – not only did you discover a mobile suit relic, but a star map leading to other relics as well! And you fought off the Scarlet Wolf! My, young Laura is already making quite the name for herself…"

"Thank you, Madam President," Milos replied, and although his brow twitched at the mention of his daughter, the old solider managed to keep a straight face. "If I may ask, ma'am, has there been a decision regarding my request?"

"Request? Oh… oh, I think you're breaking up, captain… captain…" President Winters made an effort to obscure the camera with her palm, perhaps believing that would disrupt the transmission, but Milos heard the rest of the conversation perfectly.

"Ridgeway, you bald buffoon! What's this about a request? Well, brief me again, chrome dome!" she shouted at someone off-screen, before removing her palm and gracing the camera with her previous sunny disposition, smiling as if nothing had happened at all. "Ah, captain, there you are. Yes, I can happily report that your request has been granted; the relic has been authorised to be used in combat as a mobile suit of the RDF. It will be given the code name 'Orthrus' and Ensign Laura Hartmann has been made its designated pilot. I wholeheartedly agree that in light of the star map and the recent sightings of LIRA's relic hunters, you should be given every advantage available and the handing of the relic to the R&D Division can be postponed to a later date."

"Thank you, Madam President. This news will be most reassuring to the crew," Milos nodded, barely batting an eyelid at her Jekyll and Hyde routine. "In the meantime, I will send the R&D Division all relevant data of the relic, including reports, photos and video."

"Yes, video... perhaps if we were to leak footage of young Laura piloting the new weapon… no, the voters might react better to an inspiring infomercial…" President Winters began whispering to herself before her eyes lit up in a eureka moment. "Tell me, captain… did Laura pack her swimsuit?"

"Ahem… Madam President," a tall and burly man in a white military uniform entered the picture and although his head was cut off by the frame, Milos easily recognized him as Admiral Barton. "In the interests of national security, I believe it would be wiser to keep the existence of the relic under wraps for now."

"What? Oh, yes, of course, admiral. Keep our cards close to our chest and all that," President Winters nodded, but the hawkish glint in her eyes remained. "Well, Captain Hartmann, I won't keep you any longer. Good luck with the mission – I'm expecting to hear more of the Lionheart's fantastic achievements. Oh, and give my regards to Laura, won't you?"

Milos saluted until the monitor went black, whereupon his cheeks sunk and he breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how often he had to deal with bureaucrats, the career soldier couldn't get used to it and Milos had to give Admiral Barton his respect for putting up with them. Another thing the captain couldn't stomach was sending his own daughter out into combat situations, especially with the Scarlet Wolf lurking about – but right now, the Orthrus just might be the safest place to be.

.

* * *

.

The second Laura was informed she had permission to fly the Orthrus as its designated pilot, she almost barreled through innocent crew members on her way to the hangar bay. When she got there, Junko and the maintenance crew were already hard at work overhauling the white relic at Chief Moses' direction and the sight had the pilot's heart pounding with excitement. The Gundam, as they had begun calling the model of Lemurian mobile suit, was really hers.

For the next several days, Laura and the Orthrus were inseparable as she assisted in its repair and analysis.

"How's that? It's a Garm-issue camera, but it should work."

"Ok, reactivating sensors…"

In the cockpit, Laura's fingers tapped at the keyboard with ease, a far cry from the one-handed coding session of life or death back on Lenos. The pilot never knew she could push her technopathic talents as far as she did then, and her efforts find a way to activate that level of concentration at will since had yielded nothing but power naps. Meanwhile, with this welcome period of calm, the examination of the Gundam had proven far more fruitful.

The mobile suit was indeed made entirely out of Gundanium, the mysterious and incredibly strong alloy of the Lemurians, and was what had allowed the machine to be preserved so perfectly for centuries. Inside, the suit was powered by an advanced compact battery engine which allowed for significantly greater operation time, thrust and beam energy compared to a Garm. It was an ingenious, world-changing design only hampered by the quality of the technopath piloting it. Still, it was an ancient and neglected relic and Superintendent Moses had admonished Laura for the risk she took fighting in it.

With the help of the hulking mobile suit mechanic and his crew, they had mended the battle-scarred armour, reoiled the joints, refilled the thrusters with liquid fuel propellant, and refurbished all the aged wiring and circuitry possible. While Lemurian parts were certainly not the same as Garm parts, the maintenance unit had relished the challenge of adjusting and fabricating new custom components for the Gundam. Currently, Laura and Junko were repairing and testing the restored head unit, and with a final rap of the console the raven-haired mechanic appeared on-screen – squinting a giant dark eyeball into the camera.

"Hello? Can you see me?"

"More than enough of you," the blonde rolled her purple eyes, and watched as Junko kicked back, arcing out of view and diving through the open cockpit door.

"So it works! Awesome!" she grinned, only to frown with horror when she saw the state of the cockpit. A solar system of empty food wrappers and drink cartons was revolving around Laura, who only paid them mind with an occasional swat of her hand as she drummed away at the keyboard.

"Oh my god, Laura… would it kill you to clean up a little?" Junko set a disapproving glare on her friend and pushed through the junk. "I haven't seen a pigsty this bad since… since flyboys!"

"Sorry, Junko. I've been working overtime trying to get the Orthrus ready before the next battle," the technopath explained, keeping her gaze on the monitor's moving text. "Getting caught off-guard is the last thing we need."

"Yeah, forget getting caught off-guard, when was the last time you washed? Because you reek, Laura!" the smaller woman cried out the moment she reached the pilot's chair and pinched her stinging nose. "I think you can relax, because LIRA's not going anywhere near this stench!"

"Yeah, a hot shower is the first thing on my list when I'm done rechecking the OS – which will be soon."

"So, the Orthrus is pretty much finished. What colour are you going to paint it?"

"White, of course," Alice interrupted, and her angelic features showed up on-screen.

"Everything has to be white with Laura," Freya added, jumping in with a smirk, and the pair had obviously been listening in while their Garms were in maintenance.

"Shut up," Laura snapped, playfully. "White goes with everything! It's the colour of perfection!"

Nevertheless, the other three laughed at her and the pilot felt her cheeks heat up.

"If the Orthrus and her old Garm weren't already white, I could totally see Laura painting it in the middle of the night," joked Junko.

"Speaking of Laura's old Garm, I haven't chewed you out yet about your little stunt," Freya began, and stared daggers into her friend. "Were you insane, Laura? If I knew that was your 'plan', I would never have agreed!"

"Let it go, Freya," Alice pacified the raging diva with her soothing tone. "The important thing is Laura is safe – thanks to the Orthrus. I can only begin to imagine all the technological advances we could glean from it and how we could improve our own mobile suits."

"You said it, girl! Chief Moses and I have been probing the possibilities and have it all planned out!" Junko leaned over Laura and shouted, her eyes sparkling like a switch had been flipped. "We can't replicate everything the Gundam does, but with just some alterations we can bump up the speed and power of the Garms, all at our next port of call! And because this is a special mission, we won't be breaking any RDF rules if the modifications are for the sake of said mission!"

"Wait… does that mean I can paint my Garm pink? All of it?" Freya asked, and her hopeful blue eyes bulged when she saw the mechanic give her the thumbs up. "W-Well, I suppose something good came out of all this, so I'll find it in my gracious heart to forgive you, Laura Hartmann…"

"I'm so grateful, Queen Freya," Laura muttered, only to cry out when the monitor was flooded with red error messages.

"What's wrong?" asked Junko.

"I've gone through almost every inch of the code behind this OS, but there's one part I can't decrypt," the technopath explained, throwing up her hands in frustration. "I have no idea what it is or does, but I think it has something to do with the core of the Orthrus."

Scans showed there was something inside the Orthrus, underneath the cockpit, but they had no way of accessing it without jeopardising the Gundam's frame. Otherwise, the anomaly appeared to have no function at all.

"Really? Maybe the R&D Division will have better luck?" Freya offered, and furrowed her brow. "I guess we can't expect to unlock all the mysteries of the Lemurians at once. It's like they didn't want anyone touching their relics."

"That's the other weird thing – the Orthrus already has a relic detection system installed."

"How strange," Alice whispered, cocking her head into her palm. "Together with the star map recorded in its data bank… did they intend for the Orthrus to hunt down relics?"

"Like a relic bloodhound?" Junko's mouth hung open at the image and Alice nodded with approval. "But why? And why was it abandoned on Lenos?"

The orphans paused for a moment to consider the mystery of the Gundam, only to come up with more questions than answers. The silence only broke when a giant box popped up on their respective monitors, dwarfing the other portraits on-screen with a familiar aura of icy blue hair and demonic red eyes.

"C-Commander Gabriel!" The four instantly straightened their backs and saluted their feared XO on sight.

"May I remind you ladies that solving the mysteries of Lemuria is not our job," Sofia informed them in her brusque manner. "Our mission is to discover and collect relics and if this star map can help facilitate that mission, then stop wasting time questioning it. Understood?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" the girls chorused, eyes to the ceiling.

"Good… and don't think I've forgotten our little training exercises," the demon commander's lips curved like a sabre and the pilots swore she took pleasure in their grimaced expressions. "Just because I let you work on the Gundam doesn't mean those sessions have disappeared. Oh no, we have quite the catching up to do…"

"B-But, ma'am…" Laura protested.

"No buts, Ensign! With the addition of the Orthrus to our arsenal we must explore every possible combat scenario again and analyse every outcome until we arrive at the perfect strategy! We wouldn't want to be caught off-guard, now, would we?"

If Laura had any further protests, they caught in her throat.

"I'm glad you agree. Now, if you're quite done playing with your new toy, meet me at the simulators in…" Sofia glanced at her watch, "…one hour."

While the three pilots held their tongues, Junko ended up breathing a premature sigh of relief.

"You too, Ensignl Kodama."

"W-What?!" the shocked girl flapped her lips as well as her arms. "B-B-But why, commander?!"

"Who else knows the Orthrus' specs well enough to calibrate the simulator? Or was your boast of being 'the best mobile suit expert in the universe' just for show?"

Junko pursed her lips and closed her eyes. She knew she was going to regret this.

"No, ma'am! Junko Kodama is the best of the best, ma'am!"

"Excellent. See you all in one hour," the demon commander moved to sign off, before she paused, and a glint entered her crimson eyes. "No… make that half-an-hour."

.

* * *

.

The crew of the Blue Crow had good reason to be rattled. When they had first been assigned to LIRA's newest and most advanced stealth warship, under the command of the famed Commodore Jonas Sparrhorn, they could be forgiven for being overconfident. But when they learnt the Scarlet Wolf and her pack would also be aboard, the possibility of defeat never crossed their minds.

"Perhaps our long string of victories has made them complacent," Vega said later, putting it lightly.

So, when the Space Wolves returned to the Crow's hangar bay after the battle on Lenos, minus three Wargs and the mighty Fenrir having to be towed because its damage was so extensive, the reaction of the crew was one of disbelief. Only Vega's infectious charisma had kept morale from plummeting like a dead weight and seeing their ace laughing in the face of near defeat revitalised their spirits. Now, using the star map technopathically gleaned from the relic and reconstructed using Vega's memory, they chased after the RDF relic hunters on a promise of revenge.

"Vega, there you are."

Commodore Sparrhorn floated out from an automated door and onto the overhang walkway overlooking the hangar bay, where he spotted the Scarlet Wolf leaning against the rail. The woman cut a striking figure in LIRA's black uniform and her long silver hair was tied up into a stylish knot to keep it from flying about. Although her eyes were concealed by a white mask, the older man could tell she was staring at the Fenrir below, which was still in the midst of repairs.

"Commodore, any word from command?" Vega asked as her superior joined her at the railing and her gaze never left the red mobile suit.

The heir of House Aurelia forgot to salute as she did when they were in private, but Jonas had known her so long it hardly fazed him, and the old veteran let it pass.

"They're displeased, as expected, but the acquisition of the star map helped smooth things over," Jonas informed his ace pilot and stroked his moustache as he recalled the dressing-down he had received. "Essentially, we were given one more chance, before they hand our operation to another ship."

Vega snorted, which, as expected of the noblewoman, came off as an elegant snuffle.

"They were probably pleased when they heard the Scarlet Wolf had almost been killed by an ancient relic."

"House Aurelia is not without its enemies, as you well know," Jonas stated the obvious, adding, "I believe the scion of House Ambion has been assigned to one of the aforementioned relic hunting ships."

"That fool?" Vega fought the urge to laugh. "He wouldn't last a second against this opponent."

"The Orthrus Gundam, you called it? It's hard to imagine an antique mobile suit being so dangerous."

"It's not just the Orthrus," Vega crossed her arms. "The pilot is formidable too. I'm sure they're already familiarising themselves with the reoutfitted Gundam as we speak…"

The white mask and the wall of charm might help the Scarlet Wolf to disguise her true intentions and feelings, but Jonas had known Vega long enough to read her. It was difficult to see, but she had her tells – much like her father, opposites though they may be. Trying to recall the last time he had seen her this way, the memory of a bright-eyed girl came to mind, and the thought they were the same person had the old man smiling.

"You're actually excited, aren't you?" he said, eliciting a slack-jawed response.

"…You may be right," Vega admitted after a pause, finally tearing her gaze away from the Fenrir and chuckling. "I said victory had made us complacent, but perhaps it is I who has been most complacent of all."

"Major! Major Aurelia!" the door opened again, and Ursula came floating out, locking onto Vega with her big brown eyes the moment she saw her. "There you are, Maj– C-Commodore Sparrhorn?"

Not expecting his presence, the surprised woman offered a stiff and hasty salute, causing Vega to chuckle a second time.

"At ease, Captain Roland," Jonas returned the salute and spared her. "You have business with the major?"

"Yes, sir. The Space Wolves and the new recruits are ready and waiting in the simulator room, Major Aurelia," Ursula eagerly informed her superior, before her face broke into a scowl. "With the exception of Lieutenant Valorie, who has once again conveniently disappeared."

After the loss of their three pilots on Lenos, replacements had been reassigned from the fleet along with their Wargs, handpicked by Vega as per usual. While most pilots jumped at the opportunity to join the Space Wolfs, they first had to endure the Scarlet Wolf's hellish training sessions. If anything, it was surprising more of them hadn't disappeared.

"I'm sure Luke will turn up eventually," Vega smiled and moved to leave with Ursula, before paused at the open door. "Oh, and Commodore? I do hope the Blue Crow isn't simply following the RDF ship. Not when we know their next destination on the star map."

The veteran scoffed, before readjusting his cap, and grey eyes gleamed underneath like a pair of sharpened blades.

"It would seem you need reminding how I earned the name Lunar Fox."

.

* * *

.

The star map in the Orthrus Gundam's possession charted over a dozen coordinates in space, including the bunker on Lenos where it had been discovered, leading to the theory they were the locations of relics. Most were in Zodiac Union territory, but several were nearby in the Lemurian system and after escaping Lenos the Lionheart propelled a path straight to the nearest relic on its ion thrusters. A week later, when the battlecruiser neared the recorded point on the map, it wasn't long before they picked something up on radar.

"Captain, we have visual contact of the unknown object!"

"On-screen," Milos ordered, and the expansive bridge monitor beamed to the image of a large asteroid. Or at least, that was what it seemed.

From a distance the rock appeared to glitter like a disco ball, and it wasn't until the Lionheart got close that they realized it was covered in reflective panels. The misshapen but round body was almost ten kilometers in diameter, thirty times the Lionheart's length, and was wrapped with solar panel-like coverings which basked in the light of the Lemurian sun. The exception was the top and bottom of the asteroid, the axis upon which it spun, where steel structures presumably led inside.

"A space station?" from beside the captain's chair, Sofia voiced the thought crossing everyone's mind.

"Well, X marks the spot…" Milos replied, only to earn an icy stare in return, and shifted his attention over to his comm instead. "Are you getting this, Team Orthrus?"

"Yes, captain." Laura smiled, pleased with the new name. "Team Orthrus is ready and awaiting permission to launch."

"Permission granted. Find the relic and return at once, ensign."

"Yes, sir," the pilot signed off and squeezed her necklace for luck. "This is Laura Hartmann. Orthrus Gundam, taking off!"

With a jolt, the catapult shot the white Gundam out of the Lionheart as it passed the asteroid, where it engaged its thrusters into cold space. As well as a brand-new paintjob, it had been outfitted with a standard issue beam rifle, shield and beamsabres. Freya and Alice's Garms followed, and the trio rocketed to the top of the Lemurian station where they found circular steel openings inserted into the rock, much like the docks for small ships.

"What is this place?" Freya asked, as their Garms paused at the entrance, before they thrusted into the darkness one at a time. "Were they mining the asteroid?"

"That's what I think they were doing on Lenos," said Laura, shivering at the memory of the cyclopean cavern and quickly activated the Gundam's high beams. "Are all the points on the star map mines?"

"Why would the Lemurians leave their relics in mines?" Alice asked, following the others in the dark from the rear. The light of their torches revealed the tunnel continued further down and must lead to the centre of the asteroid.

"I'm not sure this was a mine," Junko interrupted, appearing on their monitors. "There should be mining equipment lying around, but I'm not seeing any, and all the reflective panels outside seem excessive. Maybe it started as a mine before being converted to something else?"

"Just another Lemurian mystery…" Freya muttered, just as they came to a fork in the tunnel. "Which way?"

"Picking up a relic," Alice reported, and their cockpits echoed with the distinct tone. "Go left."

"How's the Orthrus, Laura?" Junko asked, while the team filed down another tunnel without incident.

"Perfect, Junko – you, Chief Moses and the maintenance crew worked wonders. It feels like a true extension of my body now," Laura reported, extracting a satisfied smile from the mechanic. "I feel like I can take on anything with the Orthrus at my side."

"At your side?" Alice teased.

"What is it, your pet?" Freya smirked next, before her blue eyes twinkled with mischief. "Your boyfriend?"

"S-Shut up!" Laura shouted, feeling her cheeks redden, and concentrated on the relic sensor in the face of her friends' raucous laughter. "When we get out of here, I'm going to let you have it! All of you!"

The Gundam pilot slipped ahead, following the sensor until she reached an alcove in the tunnel wall and the beeping intensified to a fever pitch. Laura's high beams showed scrap metal floating about and when she pushed them away, a grey cube was revealed. It looked perfectly ordinary, but when the technopath grabbed hold of it with the Orthrus' hand, it began to glow with purple light.

"Found it!" Laura declared, triumphant. "Now let's get out of here, so I ca–"

The pilot never finished the sentence – an explosion rocked the asteroid and the alcove was flooded with heat and fire. Laura's monitor went red, momentarily blinding her while the Orthrus was bombarded by shards of flying rock and tossed out of the tunnel. When the rumbling finally stopped, the dazed woman looked up to find near darkness showing on-screen, but for the faint lights of the Gundam.

As far as she could tell, the explosion had knocked her into a cavity in the asteroid's belly, an enormous spherical hollow filled with floating rubble and enclosed on all sides by solid rock. The blast had also collapsed the way in behind her shut with packed debris, leaving the pilot trapped. Laura recalled her near-death experience at the cave-in on Lenos, which she had escaped by a hair, and the blond held her breath.

She didn't like this one bit.

It wasn't long before her fears were proven right – a familiar current of lightning struck her being, triggering a premonition of danger. Laura spun the Orthrus around, praying it wasn't true, but the presence behind her was no figment of imagination.

Out of the shadows, the demonic face of the Fenrir roared to life and her purple eyes reeled back in their sockets. Any remaining doubt left her when the Scarlet Wolf activated its beamsabre, waiting until the last moment to alert the pilot with the flash of red light and armor, and swung the shaft of hot plasma into the Orthrus.

Laura backhanded the weapon with her shield, catching the blade and a face full of sparks. Thwarted, the Fenrir retreated as quickly as it had appeared, back into the darkness. Although shocked, Laura's hand was already going to her throttle to give chase, but another feeling of peril urged caution.

Instead, she swung the Gundam back around and the cavern lit up with the barrage of sizzling beams – all aimed at her. Laura raised her blast shield in the nick of time, grunting when it took the brunt of the intense laser volley, and in between blasts she spied maybe half-a-dozen Wargs lined around the edges of the cavern. The muzzles of their rifles flashed continuously, forcing the Orthrus to hide behind its shield and Laura gritted her teeth as the temperature of the cockpit began to heat up.

"Laura, where are you?!" Alice's voice managed to crackle through the comm with alarm. "We're under attack!

"It was an ambush, Laura!" Freya lashed her ears next, whining, "I am so sick of getting ambushed!"

The two were still in the tunnel, locked in a fire fight with another pair of Wargs, and could not advance to the Orthrus' aid.

"Tell me about it!" Laura managed to shout back, dodging and deflecting beams in midsentence. "I'm stuck in a room with the Scarlet Wolf and her pack!"

Just when the trio thought things couldn't get any worse, another quake shook the asteroid, even more violent than the first.

"What now?!"

.

* * *

.

"What now?!"

Milos demanded the moment the Lionheart's sensors detected a seismic tremor on the asteroid. However, all attempts to contact Team Orthrus were unsuccessful due to the station's thick rock blocking their radio waves. The captain's instincts screamed danger and he ordered all sensors checked and monitored.

That's when he saw it, a tiny flash of light at the edge of the asteroid – and his dark eyes bulged.

"Hard to port! Hard to port, now!" he screamed, and the startled helmsman followed the command on instinct.

The Lionheart pitched sideways and a blazing stream of energy surged under its hull, just missing the battlecruiser. The bridge trembled from the power it radiated until the beam passed and Milos jumped into action.

"Sound the alarm! All hands to battle stations! And zoom-in on the source of enemy fire!"

The operators scrambled to fulfil their orders and an image of the asteroid's edge appeared on-screen, just before the flash of light. The picture was enhanced, and the shape of a familiar black ship came into focus. Milos was tempted to slam his armrest at the sight of it but managed to keep his cool for the crew's sake.

"It's that LIRA ship again," the captain growled, recognizing the stealth cruiser from Lenos – which meant the Scarlet Wolf wasn't far off. "Our instruments should have picked up on its beam cannon – why was there no warning?"

"The enemy ship is using the asteroid to mask the energy spike of its beam cannon, moving into our line of sight only at the last second," Sofia explained, and took an uncharacteristic bite of her thumbnail. "This is too well planned. How did they get here before us?"

While the Lionheart had travelled straight to the relic, the escape from Lenos had caused a detour, so it was possible for the enemy ship to arrive first. But that would mean LIRA knew their destination in advance.

"We can worry about that later," Milos replied, distracting himself from the thought of Laura with commands and a clenched fist. "Evasive manoeuvres! Ready the main cannon! And keep trying to contact Team Orthrus!"

"Captain, enemy missiles incoming!

"Deploy countermeasures!"

"Deploying countermeasures!"

Sofia relayed her captain's orders and the Lionheart's turrets tracked the inbound projectiles before letting loose with their Vulcan gatling guns. The six-barreled destroyers screamed to life, spinning rapidly as it fired several bursts until the missiles exploded one by one. But from the smoke of their wreckages, another beam of light burned through the clouds, almost clipping the RDF battlecruiser.

The crew braced again, waiting with bated breath for the shaking and heat to pass, and Milos' gut told him the worst was yet to come.

"Captain, picking up an energy spike!" an operator confirmed his fears. "Below us!"

The smoke cleared and the black cruiser was indeed underneath the Lionheart, having snuck closer while it had them on the defensive. But this wasn't just an opportunistic advance and when Milos realised what the enemy captain was up to, he shuddered.

"Prepare to fire the main cannon!" Sofia ordered, her red eyes spying a clean shot.

"Belay that order!" Milos quickly overrode his XO and stared down her fiery gaze. "We'll hit the asteroid and Team Orthrus with it!"

Sofia gasped, realising her mistake, before she glowered at the LIRA ship on-screen with newfound caution.

"They know that, don't they?" she whispered, and Milos nodded.

The career solider had once heard rumors of a ship captain in LIRA known for his daring and unconventional tactics. Years ago, he had captured dozens of moons and space stations from the militaries of outer rim planets with only a small fleet, allowing Lux to expand its colonies and influence. With what he had witnessed since Lenos, the captain had no doubt it was the same man, and he recalled the moniker this tactician of tacticians had been bestowed.

"The Lunar Fox…" he whispered with awe, never once imagining he would meet the legend on the battlefield.

"The Lunar Fox?" Sofia repeated, her voice cynical. "Shouldn't he be retired?"

"Apparently not," Milos replied, before barking his orders. "Take us around the asteroid! Get us out of his line of sight!"

The helmsman spun the ship's wheel, narrowly avoiding another blast of plasma from the enemy cruiser's cannon and made a beeline for the rocky horizon. As Milos tried to buy time for the Lionheart and its crew, the terrifying realisation he had been avoiding crossed his mind. They hadn't seen a single enemy Warg and if they weren't out here, they must be inside the asteroid – along with Team Orthrus.

Milos said a prayer under his breath.

"Laura…"

.

* * *

.

Jonas watched as the white RDF ship made its retreat, firing liberal amounts of smoke and chaff to escape the Blue Crow's radar as it did. As he had correctly predicted, the enemy captain was no gung-ho fool and knew when he was outmatched in a knife fight.

Or was that outfoxed?

The commodore pinched his whiskers, suppressing a smile. Victory was only a matter of time, but at this rate, Vega would finish her side of the operation before him. As much as she was like a niece to the veteran, even Jonas Sparrhorn wanted a piece of the glory every now and then.

That, and the daughter of House Aurelia would never let it go if he didn't live up to his boast of being the Lunar Fox. At the memory of their conversation in the hanger bay, the old man came to a surprising conclusion.

"Perhaps she's not the only one enjoying this…" Jonas whispered, watching the white ship on-screen with a hawk's gaze, and the corner of his lip curled ever so slightly.

.

* * *

.

"Fire!"

At Vega 's order, the Wargs unleashed another barrage of beams at the exposed Orthrus and the cavern momentarily brimmed with light. The white relic propelled in all directions, avoiding half the beams and blocking the rest with its melting shield, before firing back with its rifle. Despite its pilot's remarkable reaction time, by then the Wargs had changed position and its shots never hit the mark.

"Damn it!"

Laura cursed when her beams pierced only shadows again and braced for another wave of enemy fire. She was at a serious disadvantage in the dark; not only could she not see the enemy, the inside of the asteroid was impeding her radar. On top of those factors, the Wargs were purposely keeping their thrusters cold, instead pushing and kicking off the walls of the carven to move around.

The technopath only had the muzzle flashes of their rifles to go on – and every so often, the familiar red aura of her rival would appear and strike when she least expected it.

Electricity rushed through Laura's veins again and she knew she had mere moments to act. The Scarlet Wolf materialised out of the darkness at speed, slashing at her feet with its neon beamsabre, and the Orthrus twisted out of its path in time. The Fenrir continued up, leaving a contrail of fire, goading its prey to follow – only for another salvo of lasers to fall like rain.

Laura cursed again and her shield took another beating. She couldn't keep this up. With the Orthrus under constant assault and the Fenrir blitzing her blind spots when she was most vulnerable, there was no time to breath. Any lapse in concentration would be fatal.

Gritting her teeth, the technopath wondered if she had been overconfident again. With the renewed Gundam, the pilot thought she would be more than a match for the Scarlet Wolf at full strength – she never expected such an underhanded trap which made full use of her pack's superior numbers and talents. The draw at Lenos must have stung Vega Aurelia more than Laura knew and the LIRA ace wasn't taking the relic lightly.

She was either going to capture the Orthrus or destroy it and Laura trying.

The blast shield on the Gundam's forearm began to crack and its pilot cringed. RDF shields were an efficient defence against beams with their heat resistant alloys, coating and design, all which dispersed hot plasma on contact, but they were not invincible as Laura was discovering. It had already melted down beyond recognition and the next shot would be the straw that broke the camel's back.

When that happened, she would have no chance to survive the onslaught of the Scarlet Wolf and her allies in the darkness.

That's when she noticed the purple relic, still grasped in her shield arm's free hand, glowing with abandon. The technopath had not had the opportunity to make a proper connection due to the explosion and ambush, but now that she did Laura discovered something very strange. The Orthrus had already linked with the new relic and was running some kind of program – a program attached to the OS code she could not decrypt.

If she wasn't already confused, the words that appeared on-screen next left her speechless.

_MODE CHANGE READY. Y/N?_

Laura's purple eyes stared at the letters, stunned – and through them saw her blast shield splinter with another fissure.

She had no choice – she had to take the gamble and trust the Orthrus Gundam.

At the same time her palm came down on the console, in the darkness Vega Aurelia lined up the shot that would shatter the Gundam's shield and win the battle.

"It's over!"

"Orthrus!"

Laura slammed her controls. Vega squeezed her trigger. The beam flew from the rifle like a crimson arrow, burning a hole through the shield and shattering it to bits, before piercing the mobile suit behind it – and a dozen more beams followed.

The Orthrus should have been skewered. Laura thought for sure her cockpit was about to be transformed into a molten pool of lava and closed her eyes. Instead, she opened them to find brilliant sunlight shining through the panoramic monitor.

The technopath's purple eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing. The darkness had been completely ushered away and the entire carven was bathed in bright light. The Wargs, dumbfounded into stillness by what was happening, were now visible and even the Fenrir was motionless. Noticing the angle of the shadows each mobile suit cast into the rock behind them, Laura suddenly realised the source of the radiance.

The Orthrus was glowing. Not just glowing – it was now the colour of gold.

"Orders, major?" Ursula finally asked, perplexed like the rest of the Space Wolves.

"Keep firing!" Vega instructed, sensing danger, and pointed her rifle. "Don't underestimate it!"

A fiery downpour followed, drenching the golden Gundam in red-hot plasma, only for the beams to dissipate on contact. Laura's jaw hung open – she didn't even feel the heat. It was as if the Orthrus had neutralised – no, absorbed – the light itself. The technopath turned to the still-glowing relic in the mobile suit's hand and quickly accessed its contents.

Just what had it done to the Orthrus? When Laura found the answer, everything made perfect sense.

"Solar research… Solar Mode…"

The blonde took a moment to take in this extraordinary turn of events, before grinning like a Cheshire cat. Staring defiantly into the storm of beams, Laura snapped her rifle out and fired into the nearest Warg, impaling it with a purple beam. They didn't just explode – they were left with a giant hole, which only grew before they were immolated to a crisp from the inside out.

Having witnessed the gold-tinted Orthrus' beam-resistance and now its lethal power with increasing worry, Vega sprung into action.

"Hold fire!" she screamed, before whipping out her beamsabre and diving into the fray on scarlet wings.

Laura saw her coming and welcomed it, giving a primal roar as she fired off a violet barrage. Vega weaved through with caution, knowing full-well what just one of those beams would do to the Fenrir, and lunged at the Gundam when she was within range. Laura kicked in her reverse thrusters, betting she would shoot the Scarlet Wolf down before they could even touch the Orthrus – only to discover her thrusters had lost nearly all power.

Solar Mode was not without its shortcomings.

The flummoxed pilot could only draw a sharp intake of breath as she watched the Fenrir's swift beamsabre disintegrate her rifle in a single blow. The weapon burst into pieces and Laura prayed Vega hadn't noticed her thruster issues, but the LIRA ace had an uncanny ability to sense weakness. She was already on the backswing, forcing Laura to bring the Orthrus' left arm up as a shield.

The beamsabre curved on impact, leaving the limb intact and the Gundam pilot exhaled with relief – so Solar Mode could resist beamsabres too. However, it was not long before the forearm's gold armour was stained with a molten gash and Vega's red lips curled. With a sudden eruption of her thrusters, she seized the momentum and kicked the Orthrus backwards.

Deprived of its thrusters, the Gundam slammed into the cavern wall without resistance and Laura looked up to find the Fenrir charging in for the finishing blow. The technopath activated her own beamsabre in time, catching the fiery sword even as its wielder landed on top of the Orthrus for another shocking collision. Like the beams it had fired earlier, the Orthrus' beamsabre now glowed a vibrant purple and it was all Laura had left to keep the Scarlet Wolf at bay.

With the Fenrir's rifle in its other hand, Vega began firing into the cornered Gundam at pointblank, hoping to recreate the same effect as before by hitting the same spot repeatedly – and it appeared to be working. Using her free forearm again, Laura covered up the molten spot forming on her cockpit door, but Vega simply blasted into that. The relic held in its hand filled up the monitor again with its amethyst glow and Laura took her anger out on it with a growl.

"Is that all you can do?!"

As if hearing her, another set of words showed on-screen.

_SOLAR FLARE READY. Y/N?_

"Yes!" Laura technopathically selected the option at once, before her pink lips parted in confusion. "Solar what?"

When a timer began to count down on the monitor, her eyes went wide with alarm, like a pair of purple saucers.

"…Laura? Are you okay? Please answer!"

With the Orthrus pushed up against the wall, Alice's voice managed to patch through the comm again and Laura wasted no time warning her friends.

"Freya, Alice, listen to me! You have to get out of here!" she shouted, watching both the dwindling timer and the Fenrir on-screen. "The Orthrus is counting down to something!"

"Oh my god, Laura, not another kamikaze plan?!" Freya yelled with disbelief.

"I don't know! I don't have time to explain, just get out of here!"

"Roger, Laura! Come on, Freya!"

Freya cursed, but engaged her thrusters and followed Alice's Garm out of the tunnel and towards the exit, firing to their rear as they retreated.

"Major, the two Garms have withdrawn!" Luke reported, and Vega's mind rang with alarm bells.

Having fought them, she knew they would never leave their comrade behind without good reason. That's when she noticed the Gundam was glowing even brighter than before and it wasn't stopping. It was building with such energy that the Scarlet Wolf could feel her fur standing on end – and it frightened her.

"Space Wolves, retreat! Get as far away from the asteroid as possible!" she commanded, and seeing the blinding state of the Orthrus, her pack had no need of persuasion.

"What about you, major?!" Ursula called, while the rest of the squadron left through a small tunnel at the bottom of the cavern.

"I'll be right behind you!"

So Vega said, but in truth the ace had other ideas, and once Ursula's Warg was safely out of sight she enacted her gamble. If she was right, the gold Orthrus hadn't just neutralised their beam weapons – it had absorbed them and added their power to its own. Thus, she discarded her rifle and began pummeling the Gundam instead, while holding its violet beamsabre down with hers.

With each blow, the gold armor began to crumple and break – as she suspected its beam resistance had come at a price. If it really was going to explode, Vega wagered she could stop it by ripping out the cockpit and CPU. It was crude, but the Scarlet Wolf had no other options and swung like her life depended on it.

Inside the Gundam, Laura winced with each punch, but the timer was almost finished. She dropped the relic and caught the Fenrir's fist with the Orthrus' free hand, buying time. Vega grunted in frustration, until she felt a technopathic connection through their joined hands.

"…A timer? Solar… flare?"

Behind Vega's white mask, her eyes blinked before they dawned with realisation.

The timer arrived at zero and the Orthrus' luminosity reached its peak – before suddenly quenching itself and transforming the cavern back to night. A split-second later, the Gundam's chest shifted opened to reveal a cavity brimming with light and energy.

"Solar Flare!" Laura yelled.

Night turned into day and everything went white.

.

* * *

.

The Lionheart was on the ropes, fighting a running battle against the Blue Crow and its cunning captain, when the asteroid erupted with purple light. It pierced through the rock and into the heavens, bathing the surrounding space with a lavender radiance, before half the asteroid broke off and fractured into a thousand chunks. Flying rubble and shattered solar panels rained down on the two warships and their captains ordered a simultaneous retreat.

But that paled in comparison to what happened next. The purple light swung in their direction like an executioner's axe, carving up what was left of the asteroid and revealing itself to be a giant beam of disintegrating plasma. It obliterated all the debris in its path and fell between the mortified ships like an inferno, before extinguishing.

While the Lionheart miraculously dodged the beam, the Blue Crow was not so lucky.

"Seal the hatches! Ready the medical bay! Order all crew into spacesuits! And get me the chief engineer!" Commodore Sparrhorn barked orders from the top of his lungs to be heard through the din of the emergency alarm.

The bridge of the Blue Crow was bathed in red light and the operators were constantly reporting news of the damage and casualties from other parts of the ship. Jonas took a moment in the turmoil to adjust his cap – if the beam had landed a few more metres inside the ship, none of them would be here. Instead, it had grazed the stealth cruiser, leaving it heavily damaged but still operational enough to escape before the enemy ship noticed their weakness.

That said, they couldn't leave without first picking up their star pilot and her pack.

"…Blue Crow… Come in, Blue Crow… This is Captain Roland."

At the sound of Ursula's voice, Jonas jumped on the frequency himself.

"This is the Blue Crow. Glad to hear you're still alive, captain," the commodore answered and heard a sigh of relief. "What of the other Space Wolves?"

"Most of us made it out in time," reported Ursula, and her mobile suit floated amongst the debris with the surviving Wargs. "But Major Aurelia was still inside when it happened…"

"Captain, I have a signal!" Luke's excited voice interrupted their communication. "I think I found her!"

Forgetting about the Blue Crow entirely, the Space Wolves thrusted to Luke's position and assisted in separating two giant floating rocks. Wedged between them, and still relatively intact, was the Fenrir.

"Major!" Ursula cried, fearing the worst.

"Ah, Ursula," her commander's familiar husky voice graced her ears and for once Ursula welcomed her affectionate tone. "How kind of you to come pick me up."

"I can't believe you survived…" Luke whispered, helping the Fenrir out. It was badly burnt, beaten and missing an arm, but seemed to be fully functional.

"Oh, I survived – but only just," said Vega, recalling the blinding beam of light and shuddering. She had only just moved out of the way by cutting off the Fenrir's own arm, which the Orthrus had gripped to hold her in place. The last thing she remembered was the cavern roof breaking up to reveal open space before the beam swung back towards the asteroid, causing an upheaval of flying rocks that pushed the Fenrir out and it was sandwiched soon after.

"That relic is far more dangerous than we anticipated…" Ursula murmured with a mixture of fear and awe. "To think it had such terrible abilities…"

"Indeed. Despite all our preparation, we underestimated the Orthrus…" Vega agreed, before sighing. "Not to mention its pilot. She is the first to hand me such a disgraceful defeat."

The Scarlet Wolf joked, but her pack could sense the melancholy through their leader's façade. Command would not take kindly to this second failure.

"I don't believe it… no pilot could be your equal, major!" a fervent Ursula argued, and Vega chuckled.

"Oh, my dear Ursula… this one just might be," she smiled.

As the Space Wolves thrusted back to the Blue Crow together, the Scarlet Wolf stared out into the destruction the Orthrus had left behind and whispered.

"She just might… this White Hellhound."

.

* * *

.

When the purple beam burst from the Orthrus' chest and into the cavern ceiling, no one was more surprised than Laura. She certainly didn't remember that function. After the beam cleaved the asteroid in two, parting the rocks like clouds to reveal the night sky, the force of the chest cannon propelled the Gundam away into the debris until it ran out of power.

Which was to say, the Orthrus had no power left at all and its cockpit was in complete darkness but for Laura's helmet torch. For every time Solar Mode impressed her, it somehow found a way to disappoint the pilot and, in this instance, the Solar Flare cannon happened to drain the relic's entire battery to zero percent. As powerful as Mode Change was, if they ever got back to the Lionheart, there were serious wrinkles to iron out in the system.

In the meanwhile, the technopath could only pray the battle was over, her friends were safe, and that the Scarlet Wolf or her pack wouldn't find her in this state. The last she saw of the Fenrir it was slicing off its own arm to escape and something told her it had succeeded. Vega Aurelia may have gotten away again, but for the first time in ages Laura felt a pang of victory in her heart.

"Laura! Talk to me, you dumb blonde!"

"Freya!" Laura broke into a smile when her comm buzzed to life with the pink diva's voice.

"Thank goodness, Laura," Alice spoke next, before the golden-haired angel coughed. "I resent that comment about blondes, Freya."

The two technopaths were using the hands of their Garms, specially made to connect with relics and electronics, to talk with Laura by making direct contact with the Orthrus.

"Sorry, Alice, but I can't believe this girl pulled off this crap again!" Freya's voice continued to roll on like a storm. "Do you even know how we felt when we saw the asteroid blow into a million pieces?!"

"You? How about me? I was in the middle of it!" Laura shot back, before relenting. "I didn't know it was going to do that, alright? No one told me the Orthrus had a cannon hidden in its chest…"

"Did someone say chest cannon?!" Junko suddenly joined in on the conversation with excitement. "Oh my god, Laura, does this mean what I think it means?"

"Oh, it gets better, Junko," the pilot smirked. "If I'm right, the more relics the Orthrus comes into contact with, the more powerful it becomes."

"Are you serious?!" Freya asked, yelling over the mechanic's squeals of delight.

"That would sound more threatening if you weren't completely helpless right now," Alice quipped. "But I suppose LIRA does not know of this yet?"

"Nope, and I'd wager Vega Aurelia and her space puppies are wetting themselves just at the thought of fighting the Orthrus again," Laura grinned with unapologetic bravado. "Bring on round three, bit–"

"Ahem…" the familiar deep voice pressuring them into silence belonged to an irritated Milos. "I'm relieved the three of you are all right… just remember to share that with the Lionheart next time, instead of having a picnic. Preferably as soon as possible…"

"You girls…" Sofia's commanding voice groaned next with displeasure, frightening them to attention. "You do realise your conversation has been playing on the comms all over the ship, don't you?"

The news caused the four mortified orphans to blush profusely.

"We're really sorry, Captain Hartmann, C-Commander Gabriel…" Freya stuttered, showing her fear.

"Wait, where's the relic?" Laura whispered, remembering she'd dropped it so she could stop the Fenrir from punching a hole in her cockpit.

"I have the relic right here, Laura," Alice whispered back, having found it while searching for the Gundam pilot.

Laura breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes, and when they opened again the purple orbs seemed to shine brighter than before.

"Lionheart, this is Team Orthrus. We are returning to the ship with the relic,' she reported, as Freya and Alice towed her back. "The relic hunt was a success."

.

**END OF EPISODE THREE**

* * *

Next Episode Preview

ALICE: _Someone once said that dreams are the manifestations of our deepest desires and anxieties. Sometimes they bring us solutions, sometimes nightmares, and sometimes we meet those we long to see…_

_Next time, on Gundam Gemini:_

_Wonderland Dreamers._

_What do you dream of when you sleep, Laura?_

* * *

This episode gives a pretty good example of the episode structure of relic hunts in Gundam Gemini and also introduces the Orthrus' gimmick. But before I go on...

Ok, an announcement you readers may not be happy with.

When I first conceived the idea of Gundam Gemini, I planned over 20 episodes, just like a real show. Am I going to write all 20+ episodes? God no... I'm sorry to say I do not have the time nor energy.  
I am also not confident I can maintain a satisfactory quaility for all episodes (my greatest fear is the relic-of-the-week-plot becomes repetitive). Maybe with more time I can figure out how to make those episodes interesting, but until then I only want to write the episodes I want and that I'm confident in.

The goal is to reach the two-part finale of EP23 & 24 with minimal knowledge/episodes required. I actually wrote those final episodes first and they are the rason d'etre for Gundam Gemini! I really want you to read them!

So the plan is I will be skipping EP04 (trust me, you're not missing much) and going to EP05, and will write a few more episodes until posting the finale. The biggest disadvantage is you will miss out on some key relic discoveries. I should also make clear, I am open to the possibility of adding earlier episodes after the finale.

But that said, I am still writing EP05 and depending on how fast I go, I might write even more episodes. I'd also love to hear your feedback on the matter and will take your views into consideration.

I know its not what most people would want to hear, but I do promise to write the best episodes possible. Thanks for reading and see you next episode!

UPDATE: I wrote Episode Four after all, it's up next!


	6. Episode 04 - Wonderland Dreamers -Part A

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam.

Thanks again to LW for beta reading. This episode took a while and is 50% longer than expected.

* * *

Gundam Gemini

Episode Four

Wonderland Dreamers

Part A

.

Narick Ambion's time had finally come.

Truth be told, his impending fame should have arrived much earlier. Born of the superior Lux stock that was House Ambion, which was second to no other house in terms of nobility with the exception of the imperial bloodline they served, Narick had been gifted with intelligence, good looks and technopathic talent. Brimming with everything that could be expected of an exceptional Ambion, his parents, friends and servants agreed the world was at the young Narick's fingertips. He would usher the empire into a new and glorious age, catching the emperor's eye with his military achievements, before leading the nobility to their senses and putting the masses in their place, earning the love and devotion of all for history to record.

At least, that was what should have happened… until she ruined everything.

"Vega Aurelia…"

Narick's lips contorted just saying her name, marring his perfect features. Ever since the daughter of House Aurelia had made her existence known to him in their youth, it had been one humiliation after another. From test scores to sports he was made to suffer second place to her first, in riding and hunting he was trounced by her natural skill, and when it came to the attentions of their peers – especially girls – the scion of House Ambion was cast aside in favour of the prodigy on everyone's lips, Vega Aurelia. Worst still, Narick had been forced to endure her constant presence in Lux's prestigious Royal Military Academy for Officers and from there his humiliation continued even into adulthood.

Now, Vega was LIRA's undisputed ace pilot and the favourite daughter of the empire, charming the nation as she climbed the steps to the emperor's inner circle while wearing her stupid mask. The impudence! The injustice! It should have been him on the podium accepting those medals, those praises and adulations, as his father so frequently reminded him with bitter disappointment. For two decades, the constant comparisons to Vega Aurelia had consumed Narick Ambion's every waking moment and his pride was at breaking point…

…Until news of the Scarlet Wolf's recent failures had made their way to his jubilant ears.

Oh, how the table had turned! Not once, but twice Vega had lost valuable relics to the RDF relic hunters and her precious Fenrir had almost been destroyed in the process. Command had been so angered they had removed Vega and the Blue Crow from the relic hunt, allowing Narick and the Tybalt to take the lead. Finally, the world would know the genius and beauty of Narick Ambion!

If Narick could kiss the one they called the White Hellhound, he would – before shooting them down himself. Not just for the recognition of killing the RDF's new ace, but to deny Vega her retribution forever. He always knew his Ambion blood was superior and that his inferior rival would stumble eventually – how dangerous could an old mobile suit really be?

Point proven and pride restored, Narick admired his dashing features in front of the monitor of his Warg's cockpit, brushing his blonde hair back with a gel-infused comb. They had called him a fool for piloting without a helmet, but there was no need for the Great Narick Ambion who had yet to be shot down even once. Besides, he thought, as he inspected his pearly white teeth, how could he allow anything to conceal the handsome Adonis before him?

"It would be a crime," he laughed to his own smug reflection, before the screen cut to the darkness of outer space.

"Master Narick…" a beady-eyed man began, appearing on-screen from the cockpit of another Warg.

"Cecil! Do you have my relic yet?!" Narick barked, wagging his giant chin with impatience.

"Master Narick, I regret to inform you…" the man started again, speaking like a servant rather than a subordinate. "…But there is no relic. The satellite was empty."

"Nonsense! The star map said it would be here!" Narick stubbornly dismissed the report and took to his controls, boosting his Warg off into the direction of the satellite. "Do I have to do everything myself? Out of my way!"

The other members of Team Ambion, who were crowded around the ancient Lemurian satellite in their Wargs, cleared a path for their vain leader as he barged his way through. Grabbing the object with both hands of his mobile suit, Narick inspected its interior, comically putting his head unit inside the large satellite's open hatch. After a moment, when the relic detection instrument remained silent, the nobleman's hands shook and his blue eyes bulged with mounting anger.

"No… no, no, no!" Narick cried, pounding on his chair, and his handsome face twisted with escalating rage. "This wasn't meant to happen! I was finally going to outshine that damned Aurelia – I can't do that with nothing! Where is my achievement?! Where is my relic?!"

Screaming, the furious pilot ripped the satellite apart before blasting the two halves with holes using his beam rifle. Around him, the members of Team Ambion backed away from the maelstrom but were hardly surprised by their leader's fit of anger. Narick only stopped when the rifle's magazine ran out and he panted heavily until his mind returned to reason.

"…Master Narick," Cecil, well-versed in the ways of his master, chose this opportune moment to interrupt. "I believe Colonel Dorian has been trying to reach you for some time."

Checking his comm, Narick did indeed find it blinking with a red glow and after taking one final breath, he pushed the button.

"…Yes, captain?"

"Major," Colonel Dorian, captain of the Crow-class Tybalt in the distance, showed no sign of admonishing his lead pilot and spoke calmly. "Just thought you'd like to know, but we've had reports of junkers in this quadrant and the relic is most likely in their possession. We'll pursue them as soon as Team Ambion returns to the ship… so can you calm the hell down?"

Captain Dorian signed off, but if anything, Narick was even more upset.

"Junkers?!" he snarled, and a vein threatened to burst on his forehead. "Those vile scavengers have my relic?! They'll rue the day they crossed Narick of House Ambion!"

"Since they are not here, I believe the RDF relic hunters are already looking for the junkers," Cecil concluded, and caught his master's attention. "And the White Hellhound with them."

At the mention of Vega's foe, Narick flashed his set of perfect white teeth with a crocodilian smile. Thanks to his father's contacts in the Intelligence Division, he knew all about the Orthrus' gold form – and its weaknesses.

"Excellent… then it will be two birds with one stone," he grinned, and thrusted back to the Tybalt with Team Ambion in tow. "The relic and the Scarlet Wolf's prey will belong to me!"

.

* * *

.

The inside of the Lionheart's mobile suit hangar bay was a curious place for those who happened to have business there over the last week. They would have found the maintenance unit and pilots wearing UV-protective sunglasses and goggles, despite the bright artificial lighting within the battlecruiser's interior, and the reason soon became obviously apparent. The Orthrus Gundam was illuminating a brilliant gold glow, like the hangar bay's own blinding sun, and those present could not look away.

"Ok, you can shut it down, Laura!"

At Junko's command into the mic of her headset, the light of the golden Orthrus began to dim before it changed back to its natural white armour and shut down, returning the hangar bay to its usual grey tones. The maw of the cockpit opened and Laura flew out with her short blonde hair tossing behind her as she floated down to Junko's station. Since leaving the asteroid facility they had been testing the Gundam's Mode Change abilities non-stop and the Gundam pilot breathed a sigh of relief knowing this was the last one.

"Damn, it gets warm in there!" Laura exclaimed, and her amethyst necklace popped out as she depressurised her flight suit and rolled it below her waist.

"When you're out in the sub-temperatures of space, you'll be glad it's warm," Junko responded, tapping away at her laptop which was hooked up to various instruments attached to the Orthrus through a mess of cables. "Ok, unhook everything! Great work, everyone!"

While the maintenance unit went about detaching the instruments and wires from the Gundam, Laura met up with Junko on the overhang walkway and the mechanic lifted her goggles to her forehead so she could greet the Gundam pilot with her big brown eyes.

"So, before I give this to Superintendent Moses, let's go over what we know," Junko began, uncharacteristically all business-like, but Laura knew the raven-haired woman tempered her excitement when she had something important to say and steeled herself for a long talk. "When the Orthrus came into contact with the solar relic, which contained research on solar power, absorption and resistance, it downloaded all the information from the latter into what we will call the Orthrus' relic core…"

"The thing under my seat we couldn't figure out," Laura finished for her and Junko nodded.

"Its core is probably something like one of the purple cube relics, which store data, but it can also absorb and process that data," she continued, showing Laura the graphs and reports on the laptop screen. "After processing the solar research, the core figured out the best method to implement it by – and we're saying this tentatively – interfacing with and altering the properties of the Gundanium, leading to a Mode Change."

"The Gundanium actually changed?" the blonde remarked, and glanced at the Orthrus' white armour, open-mouthed.

"To keep it simple, it strengthened heat-resistant properties within the Gundanium while also transforming the mobile suit into a giant solar panel to also convert that heat into energy, effectively making it beam-resistant and gold. So instead of plasma melting a hole in the Orthrus' armour, it's absorbed and converted into energy on contact. Some of that energy is routed back into the Orthrus' battery, recharging it, but the majority is absorbed and dispersed throughout the armour which now acts like a giant, glowing heatsink," Junko breathlessly explained with a rub of her forehead. "We knew Gundanium was a unique metal, but to think it could pull off something like this using the relic core, which is basically a computer… it's like some kind of intelligent metal that reacts when prompted with data, not just physical stimuli…"

"Uh, right… so the core tells the Gundanium to turn gold, giving us Solar Mode?" Laura simplified even further, the explanation having gone over her head at some point. "Also, Solar Armour, Solar Beams, Solar Flare... pretty nifty."

"Hold your horses, cowgirl, it's not all Solar Beams and rainbows," the mechanic held up her hand and swiped the laptop screen to show more graphs and pictures. "First of all, the properties that make Solar Armour so good at absorbing and resisting heat aren't suited for physical impacts and the high temperatures don't help. So, don't crash or get into a melee brawl in Solar Mode – and definitely don't get shot by conventional weaponry, especially missiles. Solar Armour can't take consecutive beams in the same spot either, the plasma will eventually punch through and a ship's beam cannon will definitely vaporise you, so remember it's not invincible."

"So I wasn't imagining it…" Laura sucked in her teeth and grimaced, recalling when the Wargs, the Fenrir, and Freya had shot at her – the latter having occurred during testing, which the Pink Diva appeared to enjoy a little too much. "Solar Amour is physically brittle and has its limits, got it. What else?"

"Well, because the Solar Armour is building up with all this heat when you're getting shot, this leads me to my second point – energy release," Junko flipped to another graph with a worrying, jagged red line climbing up. "Solar Mode needs to release all this built up energy, because if it doesn't it risks compromising the suit's structural integrity and mechanical operations and could even lead to catastrophic consequences… such as exploding."

"E-Exploding?" Laura folded her arms over her quivering chest and stuttered. "Are you serious? But the purple Solar Beams – Solar Flare! I'm discharging energy!"

"As far as I can tell, the Solar Beams are just an unintended side effect of Solar Mode and they don't discharge enough energy. Solar Flare, yes, but as you demonstrated it drained the battery completely and almost cut the Lionheart in half," Junko rubbed the bridge of her nose and Laura mouthed a quiet apology. "Whether you discharge it through a Solar Flare or not, either option is pretty dangerous – I don't want to even imagine you exploding or firing that chest cannon in a city – but with the calibrations we've done, Solar Flare should be less powerful and won't leave you running on empty. Assuming you're soaking up plasma from a full squadron of Wargs and still have a full battery, you'll get two shots, maybe three."

"Good to know, I suppose… although the more I hear, the less I want to get shot," the Gundam pilot sighed. "What about the thrusters? Are they working again?"

"Technically, they are, but you saw how much power the Orthrus redirects just to maintain Solar Mode – changing the Gundanium's properties uses a lot of juice, as expected," the mechanic shook her head. "This leads me to my third and final point: while in Solar Mode the Orthrus will still be as slow as an overweight bulldog."

"I guess we can't have everything…" Laura sighed again, before screwing up her face. "Orthrus is not overweight! He just has an appetite!"

Junko rolled her eyes, but the shorter woman agreed.

"Even though its battery engine is already quite advanced, it can't keep up with Mode Change, but if we had something like a small reactor…" Junko's inner mobile suit fanatic started theorising and her eyes began to sparkle. "By the way, the chest cannon was almost made for Solar Mode and I can't believe it slipped by our initial inspection. It's almost as if the Mode Change made the finishing touches when it altered the Gundanium… oh! If you had Gundanium equipment, you could absorb the beams with a shield instead and fire them back with a specially designed rifle that could unleash the full power of the Solar Beams!"

Laura smiled at the mechanic's enthusiasm and went along with it.

"That does sound pretty awesome… maybe R&D can cook something up?"

"I'll put a request in the report. I already asked for some Vulcans for the Orthrus…"

"For point-defence? Where are you even going to install them?"

Junko gestured to the sides of her head and Laura's expression reeled with horror.

"Don't you dare!"

"But it will be cool!"

They would have argued over the Orthrus like two parents, but a cough interrupted them and they saw Milos approaching on the walkway.

"Milos!" Laura cried.

Sensing she was intruding between the father and daughter, Junko made her exit.

"Well, I better get this to the Chief. I'll see you later, Laura."

With a wave, Junko floated off and made herself scarce, leaving the two Hartmanns on the walkway. The maintenance unit had long since left after completing their duties, so it was only Laura and Milos in the hangar bay and they stared at the Orthrus together.

"Finished with testing?" Milos asked and gripped the railing beside his daughter.

"Yeah, and calibrations too," Laura nodded, admiring her personal mobile suit with a lopsided grin. "The Orthrus was already a headache to maintain before Mode Change, but he's good to go again."

"Like any good dog, he knows a lot of tricks," her father quipped, before his expression set with seriousness. "I just sent my report to the president. It will take some time to hear back from the QEC relay, but I doubt we can keep the Orthrus from R&D after this latest discovery."

QEC, or Quantum Entanglement Communications, was a technology derived from a relic and allowed faster than light communications due to the unique state of paired particles interacting with each other no matter the distance. The technology was still in its early stages but allowed the Lionheart to contact Rem through a series a relays, provided the Gate to Rem was open, with the Gates being the means of travel between galaxies the Lemurians had left behind. It was theorised the giant ring-like Gates, made of Gundanium alloy and large enough to fit several battleships abreast, used wormholes but research was still pending.

"Will I have to give the Orthrus up?" Laura asked, like a girl who had found an abandoned puppy.

"I doubt it, they'll just want to examine it asap," Milos assured her. "You've already proven its value in combat, not to mention being the only technopath who can pilot it, so you probably have nothing to worry about. But if push does come to shove with R&D… you could always give President Winters a call."

"Ugh, I don't know how to handle that woman…" the blonde threw her head back and groaned.

"You and me both," her father replied, unconsciously adjusting his captain's cap. "But she seems to really like you and it's not a bad thing to have friends in high places – just don't let her talk you into campaigning for her."

"You don't have to tell me…" Laura shivered at the thought. "So, is that all you came to tell me?"

As expected of his daughter, adopted or not, she knew when he was beating around the bush, so Milos just went out and said it.

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't getting overconfident," he told her straight and cast his dark eyes towards the Orthrus. "This Gundam is probably the most powerful mobile suit known to man and together with you, the most talented technopath I've ever met, it makes for one hell of a combination. I don't blame you for feeling unstoppable when you get in the pilot's seat – I know you're going to wreck a lot of Wargs and save a lot of butts, including mine – but I want you to remember everyone on the Lionheart has your back. Any feelings of responsibility this power burdens you with, we're here to carry it with you, so don't… remember you're not fighting alone, Laura."

Most daughters might bristle at getting a lecture from a parent, but Laura listened and gave her father a wry smile. It was true the Orthrus had made her overconfident and revenge had clouded her judgement at times, but it was thanks to her friends that Laura had yet to succumb to her worst emotions. Milos too, who had also known Tully and how close they were, had helped keep her in check with his presence – not that his daughter would ever admit it.

"I know, Milos!" she whined with mock offence and grinned. "Don't worry, it's what everyone keeps reminding me. Junko, Freya and Alice aren't letting me get bigheaded – Commander Gabriel too."

"Good, because I asked her to."

"I knew it!"

As the ensign pretended to strike her captain, Milos received a call from the bridge. It was Sofia herself, telling them the Lionheart had found the junker fleet and were ready to make contact.

.

* * *

.

Communications soon revealed one of the junker ships did indeed have the missing relic, having taken it just before the Lionheart's arrival at the star map's location. As per RDF protocols, they would negotiate for the relic in exchange for Rem dollars, of which a sizable amount was stored in the captain's safe for such a situation. Sofia was chosen to handle the negotiations in person and took a security team with her, which somehow included Junko since Team Orthrus would be acting as escort for the transport shuttle.

All except for one member of the team.

"This is so not fair!" Freya shouted from the inside of her cockpit, where she was on standby, having been left behind on the Lionheart.

"Unfortunately, someone has to stay and guard the Lionheart," Alice told the raging diva, not that it helped.

"Yeah, it doesn't make sense for us all to go," Laura added, and she struggled to keep a straight face at the sight of the pouting pink pilot on her monitor. "Look at it this way, they picked you because you're the best pilot for the job! And it's just a junker ship, it's nothing to get excited about…"

The other members of Team Orthrus were already flying side-by-side with the small shuttle as they approached the junker fleet and the Lionheart trailed behind. As well as providing an escort with their Garms, the orphans' technopathic abilities would be useful to ascertain the authenticity and value of the relic once on board.

"Nice try, Laura, but that doesn't change the fact I'm on the bench while you get to go out and hog the glory – again!" Freya burned her rival's ears and it sounded like she was just getting warmed up. "Yes, it's just a junker ship, but that's not the point! Why do I get left behind?! Shouldn't it be the Orthrus?! This is discrimination – no, favouritism! Admit it, Laura, you used your sweet puppy-eyes on Milos and he dropped like a sack of–"

"Pipe down, Valstein!" Sofia suddenly interrupted the comm, shouting over the frozen diva and silencing her. "If you must know, I asked the captain to bench you – but if you're not happy with it, I could always bench you in the simulator instead for some one-on-one marathon training sessions when I come back…"

"N-No, thank you, ma'am! I'm the happiest benchwarmer there ever was!"

"Good answer. Now just sit tight, this shouldn't take long."

The demon commander signed off and Freya breathed a sigh of relief, before noticing another caller on a different comm channel and pushed the button.

"Don't worry, Freya… I've linked my comm to your Garm on a private channel, so you can at least listen in…" Junko whispered, obviously taking pains so Commander Gabriel wouldn't hear her in the shuttle.

"Oh, nice one, Junko!" Freya perked up and grinned. "I owe you one!"

The shuttle and its Garm escort neared their destination, the pale red ship on the edge of the junker fleet, which was half-a-dozen strong. Unlike the other ships, which were large and blocky freighter models painted dull browns and greys, the vessel with the relic was smaller and had an immaculate paint job. On its side, inscribed with giant white lettering, was the name 'Persephone'.

"Persephone, this is Commander Sofia Gabriel of the Lionheart, arriving as agreed," Sofia hailed the junker with the shuttle's comm, but rather than answer back the Persephone's immense bay doors opened, inviting them in. With a nod from their XO, the shuttle and Team Orthrus entered through the belly of the ship and the way closed behind them.

Inside, they found a spacious grey hangar bay, large enough to house a small ship if the junkers managed to scavenge such a prize out in space. There were also shipping containers and wide nets organised along the walls, where they stored their smaller cargo, and the shuttle landed in the middle with the Garms touching down behind it.

"Stay in your Garms and don't come out until I give you the all-clear," Sofia ordered Laura and Alice, while they waited for the hangar to repressurise, and the pilots nodded.

Once their instruments showed safe levels of oxygen and temperature had been reached, the shuttle doors opened and Sofia exited first. She and the four-man security squad filed out into the hangar bay, all armed with holstered pistols, and Junko came last. Even without sound, Laura could tell the mechanic was squealing with delight at the all the knickknacks she was finding and smiled.

"It's a junk treasure trove!" the starry-eyed technophile cried, breathing in the air with alarming gasps. "Look, they have Lux parts! That's a Warg actuator! And these must be the instruments from a Warg cockpit! Oh my god, do you see this Freya? It's a Warg engine and it's still intact!"

"No, I can't see, and stop yelling…" the diva begged, wincing with every vocalised discovery. "Why are you so surprised? They're junkers, they probably scavenge the battlefields of the Lemurian Conflict and sell what they find back to the RDF and LIRA. Vultures…"

"Wow, an original Argos mobile suit!"

Lost in her own world, Junko waltzed up to her latest find which towered over her. It was a small mobile suit, shorter than a Garm and with less armour, and was more of a mobile suit frame painted blue and white. Unlike the machines of war she maintained, it was obviously meant for non-combat purposes within the junkers' line of work.

"It's an old model suit, but they're reliable if you maintain them right. It looks like this one has been especially well-taken care of…"

Junko reached out to touch the Argos, but a loud angry voice froze the mechanic in place.

"Don't touch it!"

From her Garm, Laura zoomed in on the Persephone's crew that had just arrived through an airlock hatch in the wall and identified a pair, a boy and a girl. The boy who had shouted at Junko was a dark-haired youth wearing blue coveralls and an intimidating gaze. The girl was a redhead of the same age with a friendly smile, who reminded the pilot of Freya with her pink overalls.

"Hello, Commander Gabriel? Welcome aboard the Persephone," the girl greeted the party, but paused when her companion rushed ahead and went after him with a sigh. "My father the captain will be right down, so please wait here!"

Satisfied they weren't in any danger due to their hosts' young ages and the fact the junker appeared to be a family-run business, Sofia gave Team Orthrus the all-clear. On her command, Laura and Alice simultaneously leapt out of their cockpits and floated straight for Junko, ready to defend her from the angry youth should it come to that. But the pilots soon found their fears were unwarranted.

"Is this your Argos? Do you maintain it yourself? I noticed some modifications, how did you get them all to fit? Did you craft them yourself?"

Junko's Mecha-Geek Mode was in full flight and she bamboozled the boy with a flurry of questions, enough to make him forget any initial antagonism towards the outsiders.

"Y-Yeah, I'm the pilot," he stammered, before boasting. "It was pretty beat up when I found it, but I managed to fix it by finding and reworking old parts from here and there."

"I knew it! It looks great, I love the blue and white finish!"

"Right? There's nothing like flying around in your own mobile suit!"

"…And they're already getting on like a house on fire," Laura remarked to Alice, and they landed just as the new buddies were discussing everything from mobile suits to plastic models.

"Trust Junko's bright personality to save the day," Alice said, a hint of envy in her amber eyes.

"Hey, stop bothering our guests!" the redhead swooped in and smacked the boy across the side of the head, before smiling for the orphans. "Sorry about that. I'm Jill Ryder and this is my brother, Jack."

"Jack and Jill?" Alice cocked her head.

"Your brother?" Laura squinted, but failed to see the resemblance.

"I'm adopted," Jack snapped at her, taking umbrage at the attention. "Just get your relic and get out of here. RDF, LIRA, you're all nothing but trouble…"

"Jack!" Jill smacked her brother again, much to the amusement of their spectators. "You're way too suspicious of people!"

"I can't see what's happening, but I like this girl…" Freya whispered from Junko's front pocket and shocked the Ryder siblings with her disembodied voice.

"That's Freya," Laura laughed. "I'm Laura, and this is Alice and Junko."

"It's so nice to meet you!" Jill's eyes sparkled and she suddenly took Laura by the hands. "I never thought I'd get to meet girls my own age out here. Are you all Garm pilots? That's so cool!"

"Hey, I'm a pilot too!" Freya hollered.

"Freya's guarding the ship, but yes, Alice and I are pilots. Junko is our resident mobile suit expert and maintainer," Laura explained. "We all grew up together on Rem."

"Wow, and now you serve together? I'm so jealous!" Jill squeezed her fists and sighed. "The Persephone comes to the Lemurian system every now and again for work, but we never take the time to visit Rem! I'd love to go there some day."

"Why bother? There's nothing in the Rem system for us to scavenge and sell," Jack pointed out, snorting, and flinched when his sister raised her palm.

"Do you come from the Zodiac Union?" Alice asked, dazzling the sibling with her beauty.

"Yep, that's where we're usually based. We live on the Persephone and travel everywhere looking for scrap to sell – oh, our father is the captain, by the way," Jill answered, and the orphans listened with interest.

"Nice, now I think I'm jealous!" Junko exclaimed, and finally tore her eyes away from the treasure trove. "You must go to all sorts of places, searching for parts and tech!"

"Something like that," the junker smiled at her enthusiasm, before running a hand through her red locks. "But sometimes I just want the luxury of the big city, you know?"

"I know! There's nothing like going out to a café or window shopping!" Freya responded, excited. "Or a hot bath and a real bed!"

"Right?!" Jill shouted into the comm, thrilled to discover a human being that finally understood and startled Junko in the process.

"I think you would really get along with Freya," Laura grinned.

"You have the same tastes," Alice observed.

"But personality-wise, Freya's more like Jack…" Junko smirked.

"What?!" the pink diva barked. "I'm not even remotely similar to this flyboy-in-the-making!"

"Get your eyes checked, there's no way I'm some girl!" Jack shot back, only to falter when the others threw him dirty looks, and his eyes quickly wandered to the Orthrus. "W-What's the deal with this Garm? Is it a new model? I've never seen anything like it…"

The boy drifted over, mesmerised by the sight of the white Gundam and Laura couldn't help but puff out her chest.

"It's a beauty, isn't it?" she smirked. "And it just happens to be my own personal mobile suit, the Orthrus Gun–"

"Uh-uh, Laura," Alice interjected and threw cold water over the pilot. "No revealing state secrets."

"Too bad, Laura," Junko cupped her mouth and chortled.

While Laura cursed to their snickering, Jill noticed her father had already arrived. A well-built and dark-skinned man, he looked more like a pirate than a junker with his hairless head, gold earring and sleeveless yellow shirt that showed off his toned arms. He exchanged a few words with Sofia, who then turned and waved to the mechanic and pilots.

"I think your commander wants you?'

"Oh, right – well, time to get to work," said Junko, pushing off through the hangar together with the pilots, and her words brought Jill to a shocking realisation.

"Wait… you're all technopaths?" The redhead's eyes and mouth widened with amazement, and she hurried after them.

"You have to be, to be as good as us," Freya smugly informed her, adding, "I'm almost better than Laura though!"

While the security team stayed behind with the Garms and shuttle, the captain, Otto Ryder, led them through the ship until they reached what appeared to be a workshop. Here, the junkers dismantled, combined, repaired, reforged or reassembled any parts they found for their own use or so they could be sold. It would have otherwise been an area of great interest to the orphans, if not for the white elephant in the room which stopped the RDF party in their tracks.

"I warned them not to mess with it," Otto growled, making his exasperation clear. "But then what do they go and do? Idiots!"

The relic, a purple box of roughly one metre dimensions in the middle of the room, had half-a-dozen cables leading out from it and on each end were black visor-like devices. Hooked up to four of these visors, the sight of whom had shocked them on arrival, were members of the Persephone's crew. Their limp bodies had been tied down for their own safety and appeared to be unresponsive, as if they were asleep.

"Are they… dead?" Laura asked, and a choking sound escaped from Junko' comm, which she quickly masked.

"They're still alive, but we can't wake them up," Jack crossed his arms and explained.

"It would have been nice to have been informed of this beforehand, Captain Ryder," Sofia reproached Otto and narrowed her red eyes at the muscled man, who was easily twice her size and he appeared to flinch.

"I had to make sure you came aboard first," he explained, running a sweaty hand over his shaved head. "They're morons, but they're still my crew. Please, help them."

"Yes, please, commander," Jill pleaded and grabbed hold of her father's thick arm.

Sighing, Sofia nodded to the technopaths and they went over to give the relic a close-up inspection. It appeared all the visors and cables had come from a hidden draw in the relic, which glowed with purple lights every so often, like it was breathing. Another cable plugged into the wall socket of the workshop was supplying it with power, rejigged by the hands of its victims, and Laura shook her head at their recklessness.

"Psst, Junko… what's going on?" Freya whispered over the comm.

"Some of the Persephone's crew hooked themselves up to the relic and now they're comatose or something," Junko explained, fiddling with one the victim's visors, which refused to come off.

"What? Were they crazy?!" the diva shouted, forgoing all pretence of secrecy.

"They didn't know it was a relic," Jack defended his crewmates. "They probably thought it was some kind of game console…"

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Laura flexed her fingers and put her palm on top of the relic. "Initiating technopathic connection."

The relic flickered with more purple light and the others watched with bated breath as it seemed to react to Laura's touch. She had her eyes closed in concentration as her mind felt its way through a sea of data, trying to ascertain its purpose.

"What do you see, ensign?" Sofia asked.

"It's running a program…" Laura described, keeping her eyes closed. "I think the relic is transmitting the crew some kind of virtual reality…"

"A VR relic?!" Junko exclaimed, before one look from Sofia silenced her.

"So, they're just fooling around in there?" Jill sighed with relief. "We can just unplug the relic, right?"

"No, don't do that…" the blonde warned, and her brow furrowed. "The amount of code and data flowing back and forth is staggering… the VR is so real, I don't think your crew even realises it's fake. If you unplug the relic or forcefully remove the visors, the shock may actually harm them."

Jill gasped and Otto comforted his daughter in his arms, while swearing at his foolish crew.

"Do you know what they're doing inside the VR? Can we contact them?" Alice suggested, but Laura shook her head.

"They can't hear us. It's some kind of sleeping program… no, a dream program. It was set to run on activation and now it's put them to sleep," Laura opened her eyes, having gleaned as much as she could, and revealed the news they had been dreading. "They're trapped in their dreams."

"What…?" Junko's jaw hung open, scarcely believing it. "Did the relic, or whoever last used it, do that on purpose? How do you wake up?"

"A technopath should be able to control the relic while inside the VR and exit the program," Laura put a hand to her chin and hypothesised.

"A technopath should also be able to tell the dream world is not real, just a construct of code and data," Alice added, which begged the question.

"Are any of your crew technopaths?" Sofia asked the captain.

"No," said Otto, slapping his forehead. "None of the Persephone's crew are technopaths…"

"Well, there are two visors left," Laura hashed out the first plan that came to mind. "One us can go in and shut the VR down, freeing the crew without injury."

"Oh, oh, pick me!" Junko cried, putting her hand up.

"Not you," Sofia and Laura shut the candidate down together, and the hand of the pouting mechanic dropped along with her VR diving aspirations.

"It would probably be better if a more powerful technopath went in," Alice comforted her. "We're just worried you'll get sucked into the dream like the crew."

"What? So, Laura again?" Freya growled through the comm. "Why is it always Laura!?"

"No, not Laura either," said Sofia, ignoring the fact Freya was somehow listening in. "Ensign Carol will go."

"Alice?" Laura whispered, frowning when she suddenly had an ominous premonition. "Um, commander, maybe…"

"Don't bother, ensign," Sofia cut Laura off before she could get another word in and explained her decision. "I don't like this rescue idea, but if this is the only way I'm not going to risk our best technopath. We may need you if something goes wrong."

"Don't worry, Laura," Alice put her hand on the blonde's shoulder and squeezed. "This shouldn't take long at all."

Laura should have been reassured by those words, but the twinkle in Alice's amber gaze, usually so unreadable, left her far from confident. Not only that, she could have sworn the cool angel had been smiling.

"Oh no…"

The Gundam pilot could only watch as Junko and Jill prepared Alice for her VR dive and strapped her down to one of the work benches.

"Thank you for doing this," said Jill, just before Junko put the visor on.

"No, it's my pleasure," Alice replied, earning some odd stares, and soon she was asleep.

Sure enough, almost an hour later, Alice and the other victims had yet to wake up. In fact, the blond angel had an unsettling smile on her face as she dreamed.

"I knew it… she's off in wonderland!" Laura cried, knowing exactly what that creepy smile meant and resisted the urge give the dreamer a few good slaps.

"I don't understand… Ensign Carol struck me as a responsible officer," Sofia cupped her cheek and pondered.

"Actually, commander…" Junko leaned in and whispered into Sofia's ear.

"What…? Oh my god…!" the woman's eyes widened and looked upon Alice with astonishment.

"Don't underestimate her fantasies, commander," Freya added, shuddering. "She could be like this for days…"

"Is everything alright?" Jill interrupted, on behalf of the confused Ryder family. "What's going on?"

"Uh, Alice has a vivid imagination, you see," Junko tried to reassure them by laughing it off. "Don't worry, we'll rescue your crew. Right, Laura?"

"Give me the order, commander. I'll rescue the crew _and_ drag this pervert back to reality," Laura requested, thumbing in the direction of sleeping beauty behind her.

"Very well, ensign…" Sofia rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Just make sure you come back… or I'll be disciplining two officers."

The orphans collectively gulped, before they strapped Laura in beside Alice.

"Junko, if I don't come back with the others in another hour, just pull the plug," Laura whispered, as she had her arms tied down with Velcro.

"I'm sure it won't come to that," the mechanic replied, only to pause and glanced at Alice's angelic visage. "Then again, what goes on in her head must be the stuff of nightmares… good luck, Laura."

The black visor wrapped itself around the Gundam pilot's eyes, encasing her in total darkness, and before Laura knew it she was asleep.

.

**END OF PART A**

* * *

On to Part B.


	7. Episode 04 - Wonderland Dreamers -Part B

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam.

* * *

Gundam Gemini

Episode Four

Wonderland Dreamers

Part B

.

When Laura came back to her senses, the change in her surroundings was all too apparent. Everyone had disappeared and she was no longer tied-up in the Persephone's workshop; instead, she was alone in a black void. But that was not to say it was dark, because despite the lack of a visible light source she could see her arms perfectly and felt ground beneath her feet, in spite of the empty space.

"I'm VR diving… this is VR," Laura whispered aloud, marvelling at how lifelike it was.

The arms in front of the pilot were unmistakably hers, as was the voice from her mouth and the hair on her head – but they were not real, only imitations created by the VR relic. Likewise, she could breathe, smell, feel, touch, and blink, bolstering the mind-blowing illusion she was here in her own body. If Laura had no memory of the visor clasping itself around her head, she would have been hard pressed to convince herself that this was a false reality and gaped in awe of the relic's power.

But this was no time to be impressed – recalling her task, Laura shook her head and reached out with her technopathic abilities. Sure enough, she could sense electronic energy in the air and with some mental probing uncovered the stream of code flowing all around her. Searching it, the technopath finally found what she wanted and smiled, before a floating menu popped up out of nowhere.

"Got it!" she cried, fist-pumping, and read out the command on the bottom. "All VR simulations, shut down!"

Only to receive a loud error tone.

_ Error. Unable to execute command._

"What?!"

_ VR programs are still running. Unable to shut down._

The menu faded away and five doors appeared, surrounding the Gundam pilot. They were all different shapes and sizes, colours and materials, and each conveyed a unique personality. There were no prizes guessing where they led or what the VR relic wanted Laura to do.

"Manual override, huh?" the blonde sighed, and her purple gaze settled on the tiny, elegantly carved door painted sky blue, knowing exactly who it belonged to. "All right, down the rabbit hole we go… do your worst, Alice."

Kicking the door in, Laura hunched down and squeezed through the small entrance, emerging in a beautiful garden. Plots of red and white roses lined the vast obsidian-pebbled grounds, which were encircled by the immaculately trimmed hedges of a maze and through their green archways a majestic castle sat on a hill in the distance, basking under the bright rays of the sun while a flock of flamingos flew overhead. It took the wide-eyed technopath a moment to adjust, but even knowing this was a VR construct, the sight left her breathless – she could smell the roses, hear the birds, and feel the sun's warmth.

"Wonderland… it's not so bad after all," Laura remarked, nodding to herself, and a grassy lawn in the middle of the rose garden caught her eye.

There a long table had been set for a tea party and it was covered from end to end by a smorgasbord of mouth-watering dishes. Chocolate cakes, parmesan cookies, raspberry tarts, apple pies and sandwich platters of every kind, from cucumber mint tea to smoked turkey with arugula mayonnaise, were already laid out on the red and white chequered table cloth, freshly baked and served along with tall jugs of strawberry lemonade. Laura salivated at the very sight of the spread and the luscious aromas wafting under her nose were overpowering – in her head she knew the food was fake and she wasn't actually hungry, but the technopath couldn't stop her feet from wandering towards the feast in a heady daze.

As Laura approached the banquet, two brawny figures came into view from behind some bushes – and the blonde screamed. It wasn't the fact they were two men in a passionate embrace; she had expected at least that much when she stepped foot into Alice's dream. No, it was _who_ they were that had the Gundam pilot in hysterics

"M-Milos? Chief?!" she stammered, ogling between them with bug-eyed horror. "Oh my god!"

The two men were staring into each other's eyes with smouldering gazes, hot enough to melt butter, and were wearing the most exotic of costumes. Milos had exchanged his captain's cap for a flared top hat and a brown coat with an oversized polka-dotted bowtie, while Superintendent Moses had a pair of white rabbit ears on his head… and not much else. Their faces closed in for another round and Laura covered her eyes, only to peek from between her fingers.

No matter how much she told herself they were only virtual constructs, the mental scarring the technopath received was instantaneous and lifelong. She twisted her body away from the stimulating scene before she went blind, only to block her flushed ears from the noises kindling her imagination instead. Shock quickly transformed into anger and Laura finally decided she had had enough of this nightmare.

"Alice!" she screamed at the sky, knowing she was listening. "Alice, get the hell out here! Now!"

The blond angel appeared out of thin air like a Cheshire cat, lying on her side and floating as if on an invisible sofa. She had her head propped up with one arm while her long legs stretched out towards the other end and her amber eyes positively glowed with amusement. Laura was reminded of the time Alice had eaten a whole box of alcoholic chocolates by accident and her mischievous side had been unleashed – clearly, her own dreamworld was like a drug for her.

"Laura! I'm so glad you could join my tea party," she drawled, grinning much like the languid cat of fiction.

"Don't give me that crap!" the pilot snapped, seeing red. "You're supposed to be rescuing the Persephone's crew, not… not playing out your fantasies!"

"Oh, I meant to rescue them, but when I saw what could do here, I… I just could not resist," Alice spoke softly, like she was on cloud nine. "I mean, I always thought Mad Hatter and March Hare were meant to be… why? Didn't you like them?"

"Not when they're people we know!" Laura bellowed, and howled with exasperation. "That's it! Show's over! I'm shutting this dream down and sending you back!"

That finally got Alice's attention and she fell off her invisible sofa with a yelp.

"Y-You can't! This is my dream!" she cried, but Laura was already fiddling with the command console in the air.

"Well, I just made myself administrator and Wonderland is closed for business! Going under! Dead as a dodo!" she taunted the fallen angel and took some pleasure in seeing her slothful features finally twist with emotion.

"No! Please, Laura! I… I have so little!"

"Liar! We know you keep a stash of thin books under your bunk!"

The dream world began to break down as everything returned to code, from the roses to the tea party food and, to Laura's immense relief, the imitations of Milos and Chief. The sky went last, falling in a cascade of shimmering blocks until only the two technopaths were left in a dark void. Alice was on her knees, mourning the loss of her Wonderland, and Laura began inputting the commands that would drop the angel back to reality.

"I hope you're ready, because when you wake up Commander Gabriel is going to wipe the floor with you, Alice…"

"Ugh, how ironic… to go from my perfect dream to a waking nightmare," Alice lamented, before she traded her grimace for a sneer. "But I will have my vengeance! You might think you are immune, but this world has a way of sucking you in – very soon you'll be joining me in my nightmare, Laura!"

She cackled like an evil witch, only for Laura to ignore her and slammed the floating console with the final command, ejecting Alice from the VR world.

"What the hell is her problem?" the technopath grumbled, once her friend had completely disappeared. "I'm the one who's going to be left with nightmares!"

After that, Laura went on the warpath against the other dreamers, the Persephone's crew, one door at a time. She barged her way into their dreams and crushed their fantasies without mercy, ensuring they begged to be released from the relic rather than stay there with her.

The first door led to a medieval fantasy world, with swords, magic, demi-humans and monsters, where the dreamer had made himself the all-powerful hero of the story. Laura disabled his cheat-like skills and threw him into the demon castle of the last boss, letting the hero die repeatedly until he finally gave up.

"VR isn't so fun when the pain is real, is it?"

The second door led to a palace where the dreamer had created a harem of women to fawn over him. Laura adjusted the personalities of the women and watched with a bag of popcorn as they tied the Casanova up and whipped him into submission like a squealing pig.

"Party's over, lover-boy!"

The third door led to an opulent mansion where the dreamer had made herself disgustingly wealthy and surrounded herself with famous paintings, sports cars, the latest fashion, first-class meals, exotic pets, a gold bathroom, a swimming pool filled with dollar bills, and a retinue of handsome butlers who attended to her every need. Laura engineered a stock market crash, set fire to the pool of money, released the pets, fired the butlers, and had debt collectors remove everything from the mansion before demolishing it to make room for a highway, reducing the woman to tears.

"Money isn't everything, you know."

The final door led to a simple suburban home, where a little girl lived happily with her parents, and the scene finally gave Laura pause. She met eyes with the dreamer, who realised with a heavy heart the dream was over and said farewell to her parents, before transforming back into a grown woman and walked out of the dream with the technopath.

"That's all of them…" Laura sighed, after seeing the last member of the Persephone's crew off. "Now all that's left is for me to log out."

The blonde brought up the console and her hand hovered over the buttons, only to pause when she began to hear a buzzing sound. It grew louder, assaulting her ears with high-pitched notes that left the technopath confused, but not in pain. Laura thought she could make out familiar voices and sounds amongst the noises and closed her eyes.

Suddenly, the buzzing stopped and there was silence, and when Laura opened her eyes again the black void of the VR world had transformed again. She was now in the middle of a shimmering desert, surrounded by sand dunes as far as the eye could see and the blazing sun beat down on her from above. It was surreal, not only because Laura did not burn or sweat from the heat, but because she had no memory of this place.

"Is this my dream…?" she whispered, her brow furrowing, knowing no one else was connected to the VR relic but her.

Before the technopath could investigate any further, she felt a presence behind her and froze. She knew who it was without even looking – no matter how long it had been, she would never mistake this feeling. Slowly, Laura turned around and her heart caught in her throat when she saw a pair of green eyes.

"…Tully?"

.

* * *

.

"Why isn't she waking up?"

Back in reality, the rescue of the Persephone's crew had a been a success and they had woken up one after the other to Jill's relief. Each time, Otto rebuked his people before sending them to the medical bay, although it seemed most only suffered from lingering nightmares and paled at the sight of Laura's face. That left only the Gundam pilot still asleep and Junko and Sofia monitored her condition with concern.

"Maybe she's studying the relic from the inside?" Freya answered Junko's query over the comm, but the mechanic still wore an unconvinced frown.

"It would appear my prophecy has come to fruition," Alice, who lurked from the corner of the room, began to chuckle. "Laura is paying the price for destroying my Wonderland…"

"I'll deal with you later, ensign – but for now, _can it_," Sofia silenced Alice with a red glare and sighed. "This is just what I feared. The relic is much too dangerous as it is… we'll just have to hope a technopath like Ensign Hartmann can eventually come to her senses."

The commander certainly prayed she would – Sofia did not want to be the one to tell the captain his daughter had turned into a vegetable. With any luck, the worst was over and there would be no more surprises today.

"Listen up everyone, we've got trouble," Otto announced over the ship's intercom. "A squadron of Wargs is approaching the Junker Fleet."

"God damn it," Sofia cursed, and brought her comm to her mouth. "Captain Hartmann?"

"We see them, commander," Milos replied, following the red dots on the Lionheart's radar. "It looks like they haven't noticed us yet – to their radar, we might just be another ship in the Junker Fleet."

"Do we engage? Ensign Carol is out, but Ensign Hartmann is still… occupied."

"I'm co-ordinating a defence with the junkers in case things get hairy, but put Ensign Carol in her Garm," Milos ordered, resisting the urge to groan. "Hopefully, they buy Captain Ryder's bluff and leave, but there's a LIRA stealth ship out there and I'd prefer it if the Orthrus' pilot wasn't taking a nap."

"Roger, captain, I'm on it," Sofia signed off and gestured to Alice. "Ensign, get in your Garm, you're on standby. Kodama, prepare the Orthrus for launch with the Persephone's crew – we need it ready to fly as soon as its pilot wakes up. In the meantime, I'll stay with sleeping beauty here."

"Yes, commander!" the orphans replied and leapt to their tasks, while Sofia stared at Laura's dreaming visage with concern.

"Come on, Laura…"

.

* * *

.

"The Junker Fleet is in range of communications, Master Narick."

"Yes, I can see that, Cecil!" the nobleman bellowed, and his rigid gold hair almost ruffled out of place.

Not wanting to expose the Tybalt, Captain Dorian had reluctantly sent Narick to negotiate for the relic with Team Ambion, perhaps believing they would keep the major from acting rashly. Unfortunately, it would prove to be a futile effort.

"There they are… the craven thieves!" Narick snarled at the sight of the junkers on his monitor. "No one steals from House Ambion and lives! It's high time someone in LIRA taught these vultures what happens to those who dare to stand against us! Follow me!"

The Wargs charged in with their impulsive leader at the head, who pointed his rifle forward and began firing at the Junker Fleet. The beams were far from direct hits, but the hulking junker ships were not the hardest of targets either and were seared with burns.

"Fire!" Narick ordered, and his men continued the indiscriminate barrage. "Let them feel the fury of Team Ambion and the empire!"

Red beams rained down on the junkers, but if the young scion was expecting a slaughter, he was left sorely disappointed. The junker ships were not as vulnerable as they appeared and responded in kind, firing back with concealed turrets on their hulls and scattering the Wargs with emerald hail. The green plasma whizzed by Narick and had him yelping with fear, but that was nothing compared to his cowardly expression when the Junker Fleet parted down the middle to reveal the RDF relic hunter ship sailing through, where it unleashed its beam cannon at LIRA.

"Amazing, Master Narick!" Cecil cried with awe, after his commander narrowly avoided the incoming plasma wave by a hair. "You made a pre-emptive strike because you saw through the ruse of the junkers and the RDF! As expected of the next head of House Ambion!"

"O-Of course!" Narick spluttered, regaining control of his Warg and retreating to the rear of the battle. "Nothing gets past these eyes of mine! Contact the Tybalt and we'll finish these pests off once and for all!"

However, warning alarms rattled the nobleman, interrupting his moment of glory, and the radar showed a fast-moving object hurtling towards their wing – a white mobile suit.

.

* * *

.

"Eat plasma, LIRA!" Freya hollered, strafing the enemy's flank and firing her Garm's rifle. "I can't believe you scum would be so low as to fire on non-combatants! I won't need Laura to deal with cowards like you!"

Using the Lionheart's beam cannon as a distraction, she accelerated into range and smoked the closest Warg full of holes. In the wake of its explosion, two other Wargs confronted the lone attacker and Freya darted back as they gave chase. These LIRA pilots weren't as skilled as the Space Wolves, but the pink diva wasn't going underestimate them while she was outnumbered.

"Alice! Little help?" she called over the comm, dodging two sets of beam rifles as she led the Wargs back to the Persephone.

"I'm on my way, Freya!" Alice replied, only for another voice to butt in.

"Let me help!" Jack pleaded, his face appearing on Alice's monitor, and she saw he had followed her out on the Argos which had been armed to the teeth. "I've fended off space pirates with the Argos! I can fight too!"

"No! You'll only get in the way!" Freya yelled at the junker.

"Stay with the Persephone, Jack," said Alice, thrusting ahead. 'Trust us, this is what we do!"

Left floating above the Persephone, Jack watched in awe as Alice took down a Warg with a single shot, before Freya burst back and tore through the other with her beamsabre. Leaving two fireballs behind them, the orphans throttled back into the fray and at the same time the Lionheart launched several shells that covered the battlefield with blue smoke.

"The anti-beam smoke is up, captain!"

On the Lionheart's bridge, the operator's report came not a moment too soon as the crimson surge from a beam cannon was blasted at the battlecruiser. But as it passed through the blue smoke, the electromagnetic jacket holding the focused plasma together was stripped away, until it ruptured. The result was the beam dissipated into a less lethal form and bounced off the Lionheart's hull.

"Maintain anti-beam countermeasures! The safety of the Junker Fleet comes first!" Milos ordered, knowing that but for the Persephone the other ships could not hope to avoid a direct hit from the LIRA stealth cruiser hiding in the dark. For now, the Lionheart could draw its attention and help fight off the Wargs, but that left them on the defensive and unable to leave the Junker Fleet.

As the captain ordered a salvo of hellfire missiles to target the Wargs trying to escape the anti-beam cloud, his thoughts turned to the one person they could really use right now.

"Where are you, Laura…?"

.

* * *

.

On the plains of a desert world, the shapes of two travellers trekked across the desolate landscape hand-in-hand. The wanderers knew not how long they had been walking for, but the trail of footprints left imprinted in the sands behind them stretched far into the distance, and despite the baking heat they showed no signs of exhaustion. In fact, the pair appeared to have no destination at all and were completely focused on each other's company – and one in particular could not stop talking.

"Oh, and guess what? You were awarded the Ivory Heart!" Laura recounted to her companion with excitement, having wholly forgotten her mission. "And you were promoted to lieutenant junior grade!"

"The Ivory Heart? My!" Tully cupped her open mouth, scarcely believing it. "And now I'm Lieutenant Junior Grade Tulip Smith? It all seems a bit much."

"No, it's what you deserve," Laura shook her head. "You saved my life."

The two girls continued their stroll across the desert plains, taking no notice of the harsh environment either by wilful ignorance or bewitched by some spell, and gossiped under the blinding sun like old times. Keeping a tight grip on Tully's hand and maintaining eye contact with her inquisitive green orbs, Laura recollected everything she had missed. The technopath told her how Freya, Alice and Junko were faring, about their new top secret assignment as relic hunters aboard the Lionheart, how Milos was their captain, how their XO Commander Gabriel was also known as the Demon Commander, about Superintendent Moses and his maintenance unit, and everyone else in the crew.

Tully listened patiently, smiling and laughing as Laura continued her tale non-stop, which only reminded the blonde how much she had missed her best friend and egged her on. When she came to Lenos and the discovery of the Gundam, the smaller girl hung on with bated breath and gasped as Laura described the duel with the Fenrir. Coming to the ambush inside the asteroid facility, Tully's eyes grew into emerald saucers when she learned of the Orthrus' Mode Change ability and the technopath could not help but boast.

"The next thing I knew everything went dark – until a purple beam shot out of the Orthrus' chest!"

"A chest cannon?!" Tully exclaimed. "Was it always there?"

"Apparently. According to Junko, the Lemurians really thought ahead," Laura rubbed her nose and puffed out her chest. "Anyway, it shattered the asteroid in half and had LIRA running away with their tails between their legs! I'm pretty sure the Fenrir got away, but I bet Vega Aurelia and her space puppies are dreading the rematch."

"Space puppies?" Tully giggled, and gazed upon the other girl with tender eyes. "The Orthrus sounds so strong… you've become so strong, Laura."

"No… I'm not strong enough," for the first time in a thousand steps, their journey halted when the Gundam pilot stopped in her tracks. "Not until I can beat Vega Aurelia. I swear I will, Tully. I'll kill her and then you can… you can…"

The technopath bit her lip, unable to finish the sentence.

"Laura…" Tully whispered, watching her with concern.

_"Laura...! Laura Hartmann!"_ a disembodied voiced suddenly spoke from heavens. _"Wake up, Laura!"_

"Sofia?!" Laura cried, swivelling her head to and thro at the sky.

"Laura," Tully squeezed her hand and brought the confused technopath's attention back to earth. "I think it's time for you to go."

The girl stared into the brunette's melancholy eyes for a moment, unable to comprehend her words, until her own purple eyes welled with soul-shattering tears.

"No… I don't want to go!" Laura cried, and leapt into Tully's embrace where she wept into the girl's shoulder. "I missed you so much… and I still have so much I want to say, that I couldn't say before!"

Tully held the girl in her arms until the sobbing subsided, stroking her blonde locks with motherly affection, before pulling her back and taking both of Laura's hands in her own.

"You can tell me anytime you want…" she whispered and put another hand on Laura's chest, on top of her throbbing heart. "…I'll always be with you."

"Tully…" Laura's quivering red eyes threatened to burst with tears again, but she could not look away from Tully's gentle gaze and held on.

"But right now, there are people who need your help and I know you will help them," the brunette went on and gave her brightest smile. "Because that's the Laura I love."

Laura let the words sink in along with the image of Tully's smile, before turning away and rubbing her eyes dry. When she faced her best friend again, the pilot made sure she was wearing her cockiest grin.

"Well… I better skedaddle. Freya is probably screaming my name somewhere…"

"Some things never change…" Tully beamed. "Please give everyone my regards."

"I will…" said Laura, and clutched at Tully's hands until the last moment, gathering the strength to say what she could not say before. "…Goodbye, Tully."

"Goodbye, Laura."

As their hands slipped away, their green and purple orbs lingered warmly on each other, gazing unblinkingly until the world went white.

.

* * *

.

"Laura!"

When the blonde finally stirred from her slumber, Sofia pounced, ripped off the loosened black visor and shook the sleeping beauty awake.

"Tully…?" the girl mumbled, still half-asleep.

The sound of a smack wiped the drool from her face and Laura' stunned purple eyes popped open.

"Wake up, Laura!" Sofia screamed, getting ready to backhand her other unreddened cheek.

"I'm awake, I'm awake!" Laura cried, sitting up and clutching her burnt cheek. "What's going on?!"

"We're under attack by LIRA!" Sofia informed her, skipping the niceties. "There's a stealth cruiser out there, but the Lionheart is pinned down protecting the Junker Fleet! You need to launch the Gundam and help your team – now, ensign!"

"Y-Yes, ma-am!"

Laura saluted and threw herself towards the door at the same time, before making her way back to the hangar bay and the Orthrus with haste. The dream with Tully was still fresh in her mind, but she put it aside for the waking nightmare she found herself in. This time, the technopath slapped her own cheeks until she was wide awake and focused on her anger – LIRA was going to pay for interrupting her nap.

.

* * *

.

With the wall of anti-beam smoke neutralising the plasma weapons of both sides alike, the Wargs hung back and waited for it to disperse while making the occasional incursion around the blue haze. Freya and Alice fended them off each time, but Milos feared they were merely distractions until the stealth cruiser could sneak itself to a better vantage point.

"Give us the order, Milos," Freya pressed the captain during a lull in the battle. "When the smoke disappears, Alice and I can storm those Wargs and hit them before they know it! We don't need Laura's help."

Milos bit his lip and seriously considered the option, until a familiar voice joined the comm.

"Wait, I'm here!" Laura shouted, and her father sighed with relief when he saw the white Orthrus flying on screen. "Don't leave me out of it!"

"Glad you could make it, Laura," Alice grinned. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"Come to steal the glory, have you?" Freya pouted, but sounded equally relieved. "Well, just go ahead and try, sleepyhead!"

"Captain!" said Laura, and Milos nodded.

"Take out those Wargs, Team Orthrus! The Lionheart has your backs!"

"Roger!" the three pilots responded and flew towards the smoke in formation.

On the other side of the cloud, Narick was inspecting his teeth on the monitor, when Cecil interrupted him.

"Master Narick, it's appeared!" the beady-eyed man shouted. "It's the White Hellhound!"

Narick switched his monitor back to the battle and the Lemurian relic was indeed passing through the haze and flying straight towards Team Ambion with incredible velocity.

"What did I tell you, Cecil – wait and they will come to you!" he said, smirking at his own genius. "Get ready, Team Ambion! Do exactly as I told you!"

The Orthrus cleaved through the anti-beam smoke and the Wargs concentrated their fire on the speeding mobile suit. The red beams dispersed when they met the blue cloud and bounced off the Gundam's white armour. Forewarned that she was being targeted by the enemy, Laura switched to Solar Mode the moment she left the smoke – just as Narick planned.

"Now! Fire!"

The Wargs in the backline discarded their rifles for the missile launchers concealed behind their backs and rushed forward, firing off a cluster of scorching rockets. The Gundam's weakness to kinetic weapons in its gold form had been well explained to Narick, in addition to its greatly reduced agility, and he made sure to take full advantage of it. Soon the scion of House Ambion would finally get one over Vega and the people would be singing his praises instead of hers.

But when the shining Orthrus burst through the blue clouds like the rising sun, Laura took one look at the incoming projectiles and grinned. With practiced reflexes, she veered out of their paths just before they struck, and one after the other the missiles flew past and exploded behind the Gundam. Solar Mode may be slow, but no one said Laura couldn't build up speed before the Mode Change and rely on inertia.

"What?!" Narick's jaw dropped and he slammed his controls. "What was that?! They told me it moved like a tortoise!"

"I believe the pilot is using its gathered momentum to maintain its speed, Master Narick," Cecil enlightened his leader, which only elicited even more screams of rage.

"Shut up and give me that!"

Narick tore the launcher from Cecil's Warg and unloaded its missiles on the approaching Gundam until it was empty. This time, Laura swerved up and discarded her shield, before shooting at it with a barrage of accurate beams. Not only did this knock the shield into the path of the missiles, it superheated its materials and caused the heat seekers to switch targets.

They collided and lit up the surrounding space with a a spectacular series of explosions – and suddenly the golden figure of the Gundam erupted through the smoke with its rifle at the ready. Shooting Solar Beams, Laura combusted two Wargs with purple fire and another two were melted down by Freya and Alice, who flanked the enemy as planned while the Orthrus had distracted them. Upon witnessing his squad transformed into burnt-out husks as they screamed around him and seeing the White Hellhound gunning for his Warg next, Narick did the only sensible thing he could.

He ran away at top-speed, bawling like a baby.

"M-Master Narick! Wait for me!" Cecil called after the pride of House Ambion and dashed after him, firing a few parting shots that kept Freya and Alice at bay.

Laura shrugged the beams off with her Solar Armour and chased the survivors, driving her thrusters until they burst with amethyst flames. But the gold Orthrus had lost most of its momentum dodging the missiles and the Wargs were soon far ahead – the one in the lead was especially good at running away, the technopath had to say as her beams continued to miss. She was about to revert to the Gundam's default mode when something caught her eye in the distance, right about where the Wargs were headed.

When she realised what it was, Laura's pink lips curled like the Cheshire Cat.

.

* * *

.

When Colonel Dorian heard Narick Ambion and his squadron would be joining his crew, it was both the most fortunate and misfortunate moment of his life. House Ambion was one of the most powerful families on Lux with connections everywhere, from LIRA, the Intelligence Division, trading companies, the media, to the Imperial Household itself. The Tybalt's entry into the relic hunt was no doubt due to Lord Ambion's influence, seeing as his son was aboard, and if Dorian played his cards right the future looked very bright.

But that meant nothing if the Ambion heir, one of the most vain, spoiled, and arrogant brats he had ever commanded, got them all killed first. Competent pilot though Narick may be, he was more concerned with his appearance and luxuries than his military duties or obeying orders and, as the rumours went, had tested the patience of half-a-dozen ships before he arrived on the Tybalt. The result was Dorian felt he was babysitting Narick and cleaning up his messes most of the time – including his attack on the Junker Fleet, whom he had expressly ordered the major to negotiate with.

Now, they were engaged in combat with the RDF relic hunter ship, which included the dreaded White Hellhound in its ranks, who had both taken down the Scarlet Wolf and the Lunar Fox. Thankfully, mentioning the Scarlet Wolf's rival at least seemed to focus the young Ambion and the Tybalt currently had the advantage thanks to its stealth. As long as a certain moron followed orders, the battle was a shoo-in and there was enough glory to go around for everyone.

"Colonel, Major Ambion is on the comm."

Dorian groaned.

"What does that idiot want now? I expressly told him to maintain radio silence!" the colonel barked, before relenting. "…On-screen."

"_Heeelp! Help meeeee!"_

The image of the handsome Ambion, who took extreme pride in his appearance, blubbering with drool and snot as he screamed for his life would have been comical, if not for the alarming red dot following his Warg on the radar.

"Narick, you imbecile!" Colonel Dorian finally released everything he had been bottling up with a furious, red-faced roar. "You've led them right to us!"

The hysterical nobleman never even heard him and flew right past the Tybalt with Cecil, leaving the colonel to bark out countermeasures, but it was too late. In the distance, the Gundam opened its arms and its chest glowed with purple radiance, flooding the bridge with light from its monitor before engulfing the ship itself a second later. Solar Flare ripped through the Tybalt's hall, vaporising it and everyone from the inside out and the vessel detonated violently, becoming a brief supernova amongst the stars.

From his safe vantage point far away, Narick watched the explosion with muted terror and wiped the snot from his nose – but trembling not from the loss of his comrades or the White Hellhound's power, which had left him stranded in space. No, the young scion feared the wrath of his father, Lord Ambion, when he learnt of what had transpired here.

"…Cecil, if anyone asks, the Tybalt went down despite my valiant efforts to defend it."

"Yes, Master Narick… very good, Master Narick," Cecil replied, the only survivor alongside his master, and they hurriedly escaped the scene of carnage.

The pair then made the arduous journey back to LIRA controlled territory, hailing for a rescue ship along the way, during which Narick embellished his heroic loss even more. By the time they were rescued, he had fought off the entire RDF fleet and Colonel Dorian had been like a brother to him.

.

* * *

.

The destruction of the enemy ship marked the end of the battle and the Junker Fleet managed to get away with only minor damage thanks to the efforts of the Lionheart and Team Orthrus. That only left the issue of the VR relic and Laura and Alice boarded the Persephone again to inspect it one last time. The technopaths learned the dream program had been deactivated properly as arranged by Laura during her dive, making it safe for use, and it was handed over to the RDF as agreed.

"Thank you again, commander," Captain Otto said to Sofia, as the relic was loaded on to the transport shuttle in the hangar bay, where they were all saying their goodbyes. "Not only did you save my crew from the relic, you saved the our entire fleet from LIRA. I've already said this to Captain Hartmann, but not many would go out of their way for a bunch of junkers, so you can bet we won't forget it."

"Think nothing of it, captain. In space, it is only right we help those in distress – especially when a civilian ship is fired upon," Sofia replied, narrowing her red eyes for a moment before going back to business mode. "Now, moving on to the matter of your payment…"

"Are you sure? You've already done so much for us."

"On the contrary, I must insist, Captain Ryder. The RDF wouldn't want to be known as an organisation of misers who don't pay for the relics discovered by junkers or other third parties," the woman countered and opened the briefcase at her side to reveal stacks of green Rem dollar notes filling it to the brim and the sight caused Otto to swallow loudly. "Also, consider it a little incentive for you and your crew not to divulge too much of what you saw or learnt about the Lionheart and its crew. Now, do we have a deal?"

The large man accepted at the speed of light and they shook on it. Meanwhile, Team Orthrus and the Ryder siblings were saying their farewells nearby.

"I'm so sad you're already leaving – and just when we became friends," Jill lamented and fought back tears as she hugged the orphans in turn. "I'll miss you!"

"And we'll miss you," said Alice, embracing the redhead last.

"I'm sure we'll meet again," Laura assured her with a smile. "We definitely won't forget you!"

"If you're ever on Rem, try giving us a shout," Junko grinned, inputting their numbers into Jill's PDA with lightning-quick fingers. "If we're not on deployment, we'll have a girl's day out!"

"It's a promise!" cried Jill, clutching the device to her chest and beaming through her tears. "When we do, I'll finally get to see what Freya looks like!"

"Look forward to it! I'm so stunning, you can't miss me," Freya boasted with a haughty chuckle from Junko's comm. "I'll show you the best boutiques and cafes, Jill!"

As the girls laughed and discussed their future plans, a figure who had been skulking in the corner approached them.

"Um, hey…" Jack began, uncharacteristically timid as he rubbed the back of his head. "I'm really sorry for how I acted when we first met… I thought you came to look down on us junkers, but I was wrong. You girls are actually really amazing. The way you fought off LIRA… you saved us. Thank you…"

The girls gave each other blank looks before smiling and Jill put her arm around the boy, who was beet-red.

"...Who are you and what have you done with my brother?"

"S-Shut up!" Jack shouted, crossing his arms and tossing his head, much like Freya would. "T-That's all I came to say! I mean, you've got your relic, so get the hell out of here already!"

"Hey, Jack…"

Laura cut in just as Jill was about to smack her unsuspecting brother and put out her hand. Jack stared at the outstretched appendage like it was a foreign object before he grinned and grasped it with his own.

As Team Orthrus escorted the transport shuttle back to the Lionheart with the relic, leaving their newfound friends behind, Junko recalled the one question she had forgotten to ask.

"So, Laura, happened in the VR relic?" she asked the Gundam pilot on their shared comm and the others show up one by one.

"Yeah, what took you so long?" Freya complained, quickly adding, "N-Not that I needed your help or anything!"

"I would like to hear the answer too," said Alice, watching the technopath with interest. "It's not fair you got to see my fantasises…"

The image of Tully's smiling face flashed in Laura's mind and her lips curved with bittersweet affection.

"I had a dream…" she began.

.

**END OF EPISODE FOUR**

* * *

Next Episode Preview

VEGA: _Failure. Loss. Disappointment. The fragile nature of human beings means they are either crushed by these experiences… or they rise to the challenge. Would you care to wager which camp the Scarlet Wolf belongs to? (laughs)_

_Next time, on Gundam Gemini:_

_Fenrir Howling._

_Setbacks are merely opportunities in disguise, Fenrir – you must crush them between your jaws, lest they crush you._

* * *

There you go, that's what happened in Episode Four. I introduced some new characters, which I set up as if they had their own spin-off, but I'm not sure if they'll appear again, at least in any future episodes I plan to write. On that note, hitting the ground running with Episode Six, I pray it's shorter than this one...

Hope you enjoyed this episode and see you next time!


	8. Episode 05 - Fenrir Howling - Part A

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam.

Notes: Military ranks for character in the RDF have been changed to reflect Navy ranks and previous chapters have been updated. Also, I will be writing Episode 4 after all! More on that at the end of this episode (next chapter)

* * *

Gundam Gemini

Episode Five

Fenrir Howling

Part A

.

When Ursula found Vega, she was in the Blue Crow's simulator room watching footage of the Fenrir's last battle with the Orthrus on the main monitor. The gold relic was holding the Fenrir at bay with its violet beamsabre, while the major blasted at its beam-resistant coating at point-blank, before it suddenly shined with blinding light. The asteroid-destroying purple beam that followed just missed the camera, which rolled back to show the cavern ceiling shattering into open black space – only for the beam to be sucked back into the Orthrus' chest cannon as the Scarlet Wolf hit the reverse button and watched the footage again.

The second-in-command of the Space Wolves sighed. Ever since their defeat over a week ago, she would often find her commander alone in the dark like this, watching that same footage over and over. In front of the crew she was all smiles and swagger, distracting them while they waited for the LIRA repair ship to finish with the Blue Crow, but Ursula liked to believe she had at least known Vega Aurelia long enough to know when something was bothering her.

"You're not in love with it are you?" she floated into the room and enquired, trying a different tact by giving her commander a small taste of her own medicine.

"With the White Hellhound?" Vega kept the gaze of her white mask glued to the large screen as she spoke. "Love is the wrong word. It's more of a professional fascination… why? Are you jealous, my dear Ursula?"

"I'm worried. Morale is going to take another dive if the crew finds you like this," Ursula explained, floating beside Vega, and their faces were bathed in the vivid lights of the recorded battle.

"There's nothing wrong with studying the enemy, especially since I expect command to give us another chance soon. Speaking of which, any news on the relic front?"

"We just got word," Ursula began, raising a stunned eyebrow at the major's powers of premonition. "Team Ambion failed to secure the relic. Not only that, while their ship was being destroyed by the Orthrus Gundam, Major Ambion ran away from the battle! The coward!"

The Scarlet Wolf laughed and though her second disapproved with the loss of their comrades, she was glad to see her commander in high spirits.

"Narick Ambion never fails to… disappoint," she stated, with a final chuckle. "What did I tell you, Ursula? Our chance will come."

"According to the star map, there is only one more relic left in the Lemurian system."

"Yes… the final relic..."

Vega whispered and something caught her attention on-screen. As the Fenrir fired its rifle into the Orthrus repeatedly, the Gundam used its golden forearm as a shield, absorbing the beams. The footage paused and past the frozen sparks one could make out a glowing purple cube grasped in the enemy's hand.

"What is it?" Ursula asked, looking between the still and the major.

"Something has been troubling me since the battle," Vega rested her elbow in her hand and tapped her red lips. "Why did the Orthrus not change into its golden form earlier? The fact it encountered a relic at the same time seems to be the key."

"You think the relic did something to the Gundam?" the LIRA captain raised an eyebrow and considered the possibility. "It sounds like a coincidence."

"There's no harm in being cautious, as you always tell me, Ursula," the Scarlet Wolf said with a straight face and the shorter woman balked at the hypocrisy but bit her tongue. "We shouldn't underestimate the power of Lemurian relics."

The large wall monitor switched off and the lights turned back on, so Ursula could see her commander clearly. As always, Vega's tall physique fit so well into LIRA's black uniform and with a run of her fingers through her lustrous silver hair, the noblewoman finally locked eyes with her companion and smiled. Ursula turned away with a tinge of blush; although she could feel her idol's gaze, it felt unfair she couldn't see past that mask.

"Tell me, Ursula, how much do you know about the Fenrir?" Vega suddenly asked, catching her subordinate off guard.

"The Fenrir? It's a prototype, developed by LIRA's own R&D department," she began listing off, perplexed. "They gave it to you after you were the only test pilot to master it… two years ago? But it never went into mass production."

"Correct," Vega clapped, pleased. "I'll add they went through a dozen test pilots before they finally asked me. Ah, my first flight with my Fenrir… it was destiny."

Ursula rolled her brown eyes at the dramatics.

"Is there a point to this story?"

"The story is what you don't know about the Fenrir," her superior revealed, wagging an elegant finger. "Officially, R&D designed it. That's not quite true… it was designed using a relic."

"A relic?" Ursula stared in disbelief and Vega nodded.

"Inside the relic was a blueprint of a Lemurian mobile suit, which used the relic as its core. However, R&D did not yet have the technology to build it as instructed, so the design was adapted to Lux's technology. Thus, the Fenrir came to be."

"Why am I only hearing this now?"

"The ones who found the relic were the Intelligence Division," Vega spoke the name of LIRA's most secretive and reviled organisation. "They tried to keep it under wraps for their own ends, but when no one could pilot it, they reluctantly turned to me. Oh, that first flight – it was a beast, but I tamed him."

The major put a hand to her cheek and basked at the memory, leaving a glass-eyed Ursula to fill in the blanks.

"Let me guess, they didn't want House Aurelia involved?"

"Of course not. The Intelligence Division is filled with nobility loyal to House Ambion. If I mastered the Fenrir where all others had failed, they knew I'd ask my father to use his influence with the emperor to take it from them and make it mine," Vega explained, ending with a shameless flourish of her hair. "And I did."

"The petty squabbles of the upper-class never cease to amaze me," the captain threw her hands up and sighed.

"Well, it turned out to be a wise acquisition," the silver lady placed a hand on her flushing subordinate's shoulder and leaned in, whispering into her rosy ear. "Don't you see, Ursula? If the Fenrir is a Lemurian mobile suit like the Orthrus Gundam, what's to say it does not have the same abilities?"

"The same as the Gundam…?" Ursula echoed the idea with incredulity. "Is the Fenrir going to change the colour of its coat too?"

"A different shade of red, I hope," her commander quipped back. "By the way, perhaps it's worth noting that the Fenrir is made of composite Gundanium – far from the purity of the Orthrus' build, but it may turn out to be an important factor."

"Gundanium?" the captain parroted, almost choking when she recalled the damage the Fenrir had sustained. "That stuff is expensive – not to mention rare!"

"So the maintenance unit keeps reminding me – although, to be fair, the Fenrir never had need of major repairs or its replacement parts until recently," Vega put her hands on her hips and pouted. "The original design called for it be made entirely out of Gundanium, but Intelligence balked at having to draw so much from the imperial stockpile and settled for a composite. It's lighter than titanium, but, as I hypothesised, perhaps there is more to it than that."

"You just need a relic to prove it…" Ursula pointed out.

"…And we are three and O in the relic race," the Scarlet Wolf finished for her, floating back. "I think it's about time we change that."

The large monitor switched back on and Commodore Sparrhorn's moustached visage was on-screen, causing Ursula to salute immediately.

"Major, command just gave us the rights to the last relic on the star map," he dropped the news without warning. "Prep your squad. We leave as soon as repairs are finished."

The screen switched off again and Vega's red lips curved into a smile.

"It seems I'm not the only one who wants to get their own back," she remarked, floating towards the door and leaving a speechless brunette behind. "Come Ursula – the final relic awaits."

.

* * *

.

"Cheers!"

The cry was followed not with the clink of glasses, but the dull smack of vacuum-sealed pouches as the orphans celebrated their latest victory over LIRA in their shared quarters. RDF regulations, not to mention Rem's legal drinking age of twenty-one, prohibited them from consuming alcohol while on duty, but that didn't stop the girls from sucking up sweet juice through their straws like precious oxygen.

"That's the third time in a row we got the relic!" Junko grinned, pumping her fist into the air.

"And we clobbered LIRA again!" Freya added, hand on hip and humming from her smug lips.

"At this rate, we might just win the war by ourselves," Alice surprised them with a rare smile.

"I wouldn't go that far," Laura laughed. "We should just be happy with the success we already have."

"Easy for you to say, you glory-hog," Freya's blue eyes glowered at the blond. "While you were off in dreamland, I was handling LIRA just fine in that battle!"

"Yeah, and who tuned your Gundam so you could pull off all those awesome moves?" Junko shouted next. "Nobody remembers the mechanic behind the scenes!"

"You have been stealing all the glory lately, Laura," Alice agreed, and the Gundam pilot winced at the coordinated attack.

"W-What are you all saying? You know I couldn't have done it without you!" she tried waving her hands in appeasement. "And I didn't mean to show up late and make an entrance – that VR relic was just more… real… than I expected."

After bringing the relic back aboard the Lionheart, more tests showed no reactions between it and the Orthrus Gundam. Although the solar relic had prompted the Gundanium, which they theorised to be some kind of intelligent metal, to alter its properties and instigate a mode change, it now appeared only specific relics could achieve a similar effect. Instead the VR relic was placed in the simulator room for the crew to enjoy, leading to its ban almost immediately when complaints of its disruption and the nature of some VR fantasies reached Commander Gabriel.

"I know what you mean. Oh, my paradise of men…" Alice put her hands together and looked to the heavens as if in prayer, but the others were unmoved.

"And that's why it got banned," Freya reminded the taller girl. "I didn't even get a turn!"

"Count yourself lucky. Commander Gabriel has been giving everyone who used it the evil eye," Junko's revelation caused the pink diva to visibly flinch. "It's no secret what some of the male crew were using it for…"

"Oh, Junko, gross! TMI!" Laura and the others groaned, and they pelted the girl with pillows before continuing. "It's too bad the Orthrus couldn't learn anything from the new relic, but there's always the next one."

"Speaking of the Orthrus, I had an interesting chat with one of the operators earlier," Junko mumbled through the mountain of pillows and pushed them away to reveal a cheeky grin. "They overheard some interesting enemy transmissions. Apparently, our own Laura has become so feared amongst LIRA, they've given her a cute little name…"

"What? Tell us?" The orphans leaned forward in anticipation.

"…The White Hellhound."

Laura couldn't help but puff out her chest and a wide smile spread across her cheeks.

"They may be LIRA scum, but at least they have good naming sense," she tooted her own horn.

"I don't know… I feel like there's room for improvement…" Freya and the others held their chins in their hands, before sharing an impish look of agreement. "The Blonde Hellhound!"

"What?!" Laura almost spat out her juice and her purple eyes twitched. "What does my hair have to do with it?!"

"Well, it just sounds catchier this way," Junko sneered.

"And if you think about it, those LIRA jerks don't even know you," Freya joked.

"Therefore, we're much better suited to giving you the moniker you deserve," Alice finished with a nod, and Laura growled before crushing the empty juice-pouch inside her fist.

"What the hell kind of reasoning is that?! But the jokes on you, this works both ways!" the Blonde Hellhound barked with fury and pointed an indignant finger at Freya. "The Pink Diva!"

"Oh…!" Both Junko and Alice clapped and nodded with approval.

"Humph! That's not so bad… fairly accurate, actually," Freya flipped her pink-twin-tails back and simpered.

"I forgot you were an attention-whore…"

"What was that, Hellbit–"

"Wonderland," Alice suddenly interrupted them, her amber eyes sparkling. "Alice 'Wonderland' Carol would be perfect for me."

"Oh, because you're always in your 'wonderland'," Junko struck her palm in realisation, before shaking her head along with the others.

"The Disappointing Angel," they said in unison.

"…What?" Alice snapped, her saintly features contorting in a rare display of anger. "And just what do you mean by that?"

"Do you really need to ask? All the male crew think you're making eyes at them!"

"I was playing fantasy matchmaker, if you must know."

"Ok, now it's Junko's turn," Laura rounded on the unscathed mechanic.

"No, thanks," Junko waved her hand, and snacked out of a bag of chips. "I never understood all this nickname business – what are you, in eighth grade? It's embarrassing…'

Amidst the argument and flying pillows that followed, the girls never noticed the door to their quarters hiss wide open. Commander Sofia Gabriel entered and paused to observe the carnage unfolding before her until a cushioned missile hit the XO in the face. The room went quieter than a funeral parlour and the white-faced orphans wished they were in the coffins.

"What you do on break is your business, but a certain level of conduct at all times wouldn't kill you," lectured the demon commander, after having the terrified girls line up and stand to attention. "This is a military ship, not a slumber party."

"Yes, ma'am! Sorry, ma'am!" they cried, begging for their lives.

Sofia sighed. Although they had been working together for a while now, to the point that the orphans even opened up to her on occasion, whenever she used that demon commander tone it felt like all of Sofia's gains went out the window. It was rare for the serious career officer to attract friends let alone trust in her past postings, and she had been hoping to change that aboard the Lionheart, but the naked fear in the girls' eyes made Sofia wonder if it was even possible at this point.

"Enough, I didn't come here to hassle you," she sat on one of the beds and started over. "I just had a meeting with Captain Hartmann. The fact LIRA appeared at the site of the third relic as well was too much of a coincidence and we should seriously consider the possibility they have their own star map."

"The Fenrir…" Laura whispered, recalling that it had tried to touch the Orthrus on Lenos while the relic was still giving out a signal. She hadn't given it a second thought since, but maybe it had made contact after all, giving Vega Aurelia the star map.

"It was agreed appropriate precautions must be taken for the final relic and the captain is making a request for an escort of battleships," Sofia continued, before her red eyes took on a hawkish quality. "But I'm not interested in a simple rematch. The Scarlet Wolf and the Lunar Fox have been thorns in our sides once too often and I don't like leaving our enemies alive. If we meet them in battle for the final relic, I want it to be their last – so they can never threaten us again. Am I right in thinking you girls are of the same mind?"

The commander didn't have to wait for an answer, because the reply was immediate and resolute.

"We'd like nothing better, commander," Junko told her bluntly.

"Ever since Operation Arrowhead, eliminating them has been all we can think about," Alice whispered, her words tinged with faint emotion.

"Personal doesn't even begin to describe our vendetta against them… against her," Freya growled and slammed her fist into her palm, simmering with restrained anger.

"Everyone here feels the same way, commander," Laura felt at one with her friends and squeezed her fist, before staring Sofia straight in the eyes. "We want revenge on the Scarlet Wolf."

Laura purple gaze glanced past Sofia and the XO turned to find a photo stuck to the wall, next to a stack of magnetised cards. Of the five academy graduates in the picture, she recognised only four – the last was a mousey-haired girl with green eyes, smiling gently for the camera. Now everything made sense – the lack of hesitation in their eyes, their indomitable spirit, and the reason why Sofia had been drawn to the orphans.

Revenge was a great motivator.

"Understood," she replied, getting up and floating towards the door. "Let's convene again in the simulator room tomorrow morning at 0500 hours, so we can formulate a strategy to present to Captain Hartmann."

"Thank you, ma'am," Laura and the others saluted. "But we'll be there at 0400."

Sofia paused in the middle of the doorway, looked over her shoulder and smiled.

"Suit yourselves," she whispered and let the door hiss shut behind her.

.

* * *

.

The Blue Crow was LIRA's premier stealth cruiser. It was not only invisible to enemy radar, but extremely fast, capable of sneaking up on unsuspecting foes and inflicting maximum damage with its array of weapons before disappearing back into the void of space. And that was before including the squadron of Wargs it could carry and deploy for tactical advantages, using them for either surprise attacks or distractions.

It was a silent killer meant to work alone or with other stealth cruisers, which was why when command assigned two standard LIRA war cruisers, the Yorick and the Othello, to escort the Blue Crow to the last relic, the general feeling amongst the crew was that they were only going to get in the way.

"They're going to get us killed," Ursula complained, appearing on Vega's monitor and speaking on the Space Wolves' private channel. "What was command thinking? If an RDF radar finds them and sends out interception, they'll lead back to us."

The pilots were currently on standby inside their mobile suits, waiting for the order to deploy as the Blue Crow neared its destination on the star map. While its escorts trailed behind, the stealth cruiser scouted ahead and led the way.

"Command is just hedging their bets," Luke replied, yawning loudly to Ursula's disdain. "They don't want another failure – if one ship couldn't do the job, then they'll send three."

"In other words, they're here to make sure we acquire the last relic – even if it kills us," Vega added her own dire interpretation, but sounded perfectly unfazed. "Nevertheless, I find their presence welcome. The enemy ship surely knows by now we have our own star map and has reacted accordingly."

"You think they'll bring reinforcements?"

"I believe it is all but certain."

"Major," Commodore Sparrhorn got their attention on the comm. "You better look at this."

An image was transferred from the Blue Crow's main monitor to their mobile suits which seemingly showed empty space. But as the picture gradually zoomed in and refocused, it became clear something was out there – something immense. It appeared to be a circular and hollow construct like a thin halo, leaving only one conclusion.

"A Lemurian space colony?" Ursula whispered with disbelief. "All the way out here?"

"Surely it must be abandoned… right?" Luke ventured, leaving the very idea of inhabitants, living or dead, unsaid.

"It appears to be broken in several places," Vega observed.

As the Blue Crow drew closer, the major's observation proved correct. The halo colony, once a perfect ring containing a settlement on its inner band, had fragmented into a series of floating islands. While it had more or less retained its doughnut shape, particularly the largest island which still formed a crescent section on the halo's bottom, a thick field of debris from whatever disaster had befallen the outpost had gathered in its centre. It was clearly a husk of a colony, long left to decay this far out in space, and showed no signs of life – nor that of their enemies.

"No enemy ships detected, but the debris field is giving our sensors many false readings," the operator on radar reported.

"Did we arrive before them?" Ursula asked, squinting at the image.

"I don't like this, major," Luke whispered, serious for once.

"Major Aurelia, take your squad out and find that relic," Commodore Sparrhorn ordered, appearing on-screen. "If we really are a step ahead of the RDF, we cannot allow this opportunity to go to waste."

"And if it's a trap?"

"Then stir the hornet's nest, as you so like to say."

The commodore disappeared from the screen, leaving Vega to chuckle. It had been left unstated, but they both knew they had no choice – failure was not an option this time. It was the relic or nothing.

"Space Wolves, prepare to launch – we hunt for relics!" the Scarlet Wolf bellowed, and the Fenrir was loaded onto the catapult first. "This is Vega Aurelia. Fenrir, taking off!"

The red mobile suit was flung forward and glided out of the Blue Crow and into space, where it engaged its blue thrusters. The Space Wolves followed, exiting the ship in black pairs, and the nine of them flew towards the halo colony in a V-formation with Lemuria's distant sun to their backs. Up close on their monitors, the true scale of the colony's size and former majesty struck home, leaving more than one pilot feeling both dwarfed and in awe.

Contrary to its design name, the halo colony was a gigantic mass of curved titanium, enough to build fifty fleets and still have leftovers, and a small moon could have been threaded through its colossal frame. Its wide inner ring had space for swarths of land for inhabitants to settle, on the surface or below ground in the frame itself, and could easily have housed the populace of a bustling metropolis or two. On the outer band, random patches of solar panels flickered with the light of the Lemurian sun, much like what they had seen on the asteroid facility, and in the past the entire exterior of the colony must have shimmered with them.

In its heyday, the Lemurian outpost must have glowed in the darkness of space like the angelic halo of its namesake – but no longer. Not only had it broken off into several islands, the surface of the inner ring had almost been stripped bare by the passage of time and everything it once housed had floated off to form the debris field now at the centre of the doughnut.

As the Space Wolves passed the edge of the sphere of debris, they could not help but notice its contents. Whole buildings and houses of Lemurian architecture drifted past, either intact or in pieces, followed by all manner of ancient vehicles in their thousands. Acres of soil were everywhere, like hovering isles, still embedded with dead trees, nature and asphalt. There were also the vestiges of the colony's water supply, now crystallised lakes floating about like frozen clouds.

The scene was enough to send chills down the spines of those present – and still, they had yet to find a single Lemurian corpse.

"I don't understand…" Luke finally spoke, perhaps to break the eerie silence. "How did the colony maintain an atmosphere? The halo shape for centrifugal force I can understand, but there's no roof…"

"The whole colony is in shambles, so we don't actually know how it was designed," Ursula pointed out in reply. "It may be that a key segment that would have answered your question has floated off or been destroyed."

"While I would love to discuss theories with you two, there is a relic out here somewhere," Vega cut in. "Let's start with the main island below – spread out!"

The mobile suit squadron fanned out and dived for the crescent island, the largest section of the halo colony still intact. They were not even a kilometre out when the Space Wolves felt an invisible force pulling on their Wargs – wrestling control from the pilots and sending them hurtling towards the surface.

"Major! I can't change direction!" Ursula yelled out, wriggling her flight stick to no avail.

"We keep gaining speed – it's like we're in freefall!" Luke warned, gritting his teeth.

"Reverse thrusters! Point your mobile suits back up!" Vega ordered, and blue fire erupted from the Fenrir's shoulders. The Wargs followed suit, somersaulting backwards, before an azure inferno ignited from their foot thrusters. The result was their descent was slowed, but they continued to plummet straight for the colony.

Nevertheless, the Space Wolves held on, burning through their liquid propellant until they reached the surface. One after the other, the Wargs crashed landed, rattling the occupants inside their cockpits like jelly and sending tremors throughout the steel island. Meanwhile, the Fenrir landed perfectly thanks to its more powerful thrusters.

"What was that? Magnetism?" Ursula wondered aloud, catching her breath.

"No… it can't be…" Luke muttered, suddenly staring at his arms like he had grown another pair. "Major!"

Vega sensed it too and lifted a stray strand of hair that had found its way outside her helmet. She turned her palm and instead of floating away, the silver lock fell straight down.

"Gravity…" she whispered, feeling the familiar weight of her body being pushed downwards.

"That's impossible!" Ursula objected, despite the truth staring her in the face. "Even if the colony was spinning, there's no way the simulated gravity would be this strong!"

"Do you want to tell her, major? Or should I?" asked Luke, somehow find a humorous side to the situation, even as he leaned back with disbelief.

"It's artificial gravity…" Vega informed her second, her voice building with excitement. "A gravity relic…"

The Scarlet Wolf suddenly stopped and perked her head up, checking their surroundings. The inner band of the halo colony was like an endless trench, a wide recess that stretched from one end of the island to another. Also, but for a few remaining buildings and junk that had been pulled down from the debris field above, the terrain was open and exposed.

Behind her mask, the whites of Vega's eyes grew as the true direness of their situation sunk in like a Warg at sea.

"We're trapped…" she whispered, and slammed open her comm. "Come in, Blue Crow! A gravity relic has pinned us down! It was a trap!"

On the bridge of the Blue Crow, Commodore Sparrhorn heard Vega loud and clear, and leapt into action.

"Contact the Yorick and the Othello! Deploy Warg Teams and be on the lookout for enemy ships! The Blue Crow will extract the Space Wo–"

The Lunar Fox never finished. The bridge was bathed in red light as one of the monitors transmitted a supernova of an explosion. Where the Yorick had once been was now a beacon of carnage and a charred wreckage was all that remained of the ship after a beam of hot plasma had ripped down its hull. The Othello was next, flashing with blinding light before a hole appeared in its side and the cruiser detonated into a thousand pieces.

The tremors of both explosions hit the Blue Crow from both sides, sending shockwaves throughout its screeching hull and its unsuspecting crew. But Jonas braced himself up right and screamed his orders – he knew they had to act now before they met the same fate.

"Full speed ahead! Take us into the cover of the debris field!"

"But captain, the shots came from the debris field! They're using it to hide from our radar!" one of the operators cried.

"And so will we!" the commodore bellowed. "While they're recharging their cannons, this is our only chance! We cannot risk exposing our position against superior numbers – no, we may have already been exposed!"

The Lunar Fox's prediction proved correct when another beam shot across the bow, just missing the stealth cruiser as it escaped into the debris field. Below, the Space Wolves had watched on in horror as both the Yorick and Othello burst into flames, becoming brief balls of fire against the backdrop of space. Like the commodore, Vega wasted no time marshalling her subordinates.

"Take cover!"

Not a second later, blue light rained down from above and suddenly the sky was swarming with a full squadron of Garms. Like white-robed angels, they hovered just outside the colony's gravity well, unleashing an azure barrage at the grounded Fenrir and Wargs with their beam rifles. The Space Wolves scattered, scrambling for cover and returning fire.

"Rem cowards!" one of the more brash Wolves roared and engaged his thrusters to lift off.

"Boris, you idiot, no!"

Ursula cried in vain and Boris got no more than a hundred feet up when he realised he was still at the mercy of the artificial gravity. For a moment, his Warg hung in the air like a floundering black whale, before the machine was harpooned by a volley of plasma beams and fell back to the colony in flaming bits. The others could only watch from their hiding places, helpless, and the disadvantages of their situation soon came to bear – without atmospheric flight packs to fight the pull of gravity, they were sitting ducks.

From the debris field, an RDF battleship poked its nose out and began firing its beam turrets into the island, peppering it with hot craters. Through the bombardment, Vega managed to spot a familiar white mobile suit.

"The Orthrus…!"

.

* * *

.

When the LIRA cruisers lit up like twin Christmas trees before snuffing themselves out in the cold vacuum of space, Milos could not help but give a subtle pump of his fist.

The man loved it when a plan came together.

"Direct hit! Destruction of both LIRA ships confirmed!" an operator announced to the ecstatic bridge.

"Good shot, Tachi!" Milo complimented the Lionheart's partner-in-crime, which had taken the second shot from the other side of the debris field. With just their escort of two RDF battleships, Sofia had already come up with a bold strategy to neutralise LIRA's relic hunters – but with the early discovery of the halo colony, the debris field and the still-functioning artificial gravity, the original strategy had given way to a cunning trap.

"Commander, how's the next stage of our plan coming?" Milos enquired while the cannon recharged, and Sofia was bent over the sensor operator's monitor.

"Captain, we have visual confirmation!" the commander reared her head in triumph, and the main screen showed a still image of the two LIRA cruisers exploding – and between them, caught between the light of the blasts, the shadow of a third ship. "The Lunar Fox is exposed!"

"Maintain visual contact and inform the Tachi and Gladius! Don't let that stealth ship out of your sights!" Milos bellowed, and as Sofia returned to her station at the weapons console, he whispered to her. "Excellent work, Commander Gabriel. Remind me to never bet against you in ship-to-ship warfare."

"A wise choice, captain," the XO replied, strapping herself back into her seat. "After all, I only pick battles I can win."

"The remaining LIRA vessel is escaping into the debris field!" an operator updated them. "The Tachi is firing… they missed!"

From the Tachi's position, a neon blue streak stretched across black space without resistance and, zooming in, the tiny black ship moving on-screen remained intact. As expected of the Lunar Fox, LIRA's new stealth technology had not made him overconfident and the captain chose to retreat into the safety of the debris field – but that was all within their calculations.

"Contact the Tachi to deploy their Garms, we'll proceed as planned with a pincer movement. Time to smoke the fox from its den," Milos ordered, his dark eyes shining under his cap. "And once the Gladius and Team Orthrus are done mopping up the Fenrir and her pack, it will be a three-pronged attack – with luck, this will be the end of the Scarlet Wolf and the Lunar Fox!"

At the thought of his daughter, the captain took a moment to glance at the fragmented halo colony's crescent island in the corner of the monitor, where a one-sided lightshow was well underway.

.

* * *

.

"Take this!"

Freya pulled her Garm up to the frontlines and took aim with her rifle, adding to the beam barrage with her own burst of hot plasma, which fell on the colony like icy hellfire. The Wargs scurried about like ants in the rain, taking cover anywhere they could from abandoned buildings to large pieces of scrap metal, but the bombardment was continuous and relentless. Now the Garms were the superior mobile suits and along with the Gladius they took sweet revenge on their long-time adversaries, freely dodging and moving vantage points from the safety of the sky, while the Wargs were forced to fight for their lives.

"Careful, Freya! We wouldn't want you to be grounded again," Alice flew beside her and snickered, recalling the pink diva's shock when she had been caught by the colony's gravity well and forced to make an unceremonious landing.

"Those stupid Lemurians and their crazy relics," Freya growled, releasing her anger into a few more shots before thrusting back. "What is even powering this artificial gravity?"

"Junko thinks the solar panels left on the outer ring are still collecting power for the halo," Laura pulled up next and explained.

The thought of a gravity relic and what it could do for the Orthrus' Mode Change ability had excited the technopaths, but finding its location given the colony's titanic size had proven too much of a nightmare. In the end, Sofia had ordered their ambush preparations to come first as disturbing the relic could disable the artificial gravity and one of their key advantages. While Laura had been disappointed, the Orthrus' new mode could wait – the Scarlet Wolf was stranded somewhere on the crescent island and the trio were going to be the first to find her.

"Still, it's a good thing you got caught," the Gundam pilot smirked. "Otherwise Commander Gabriel would never have come up with this new plan."

"Thank you, Freya," Alice quipped, to which Freya charged forward again with a roar.

"Shut up! If you have to time to flap those lips, pull those triggers!"

The trio fired along with the Gladius' Garm Team, shredding the colony surface with a hail of indigo light and dispatching a few Wargs in the process. However, though their mobility may be hindered, the enemy were still the personal squadron of the Scarlet Wolf and they returned fire with co-ordinated accuracy. Laura rushed to the front, transforming the Orthrus into its gold form in time to absorb the red beams meant for two allied Garms.

"Thanks, White Hellhound!"

"You're pretty good, Hellhound!"

Hearing them thank her, Laura groaned. They had only just met the Garm pilots of the Gladius earlier, but they had been fairly interested in Laura and the Orthrus Gundam before LIRA appeared. Interestingly, they already knew her nickname and used it frequently.

"What's the matter? I thought you liked that name," Freya asked.

"I thought I did, but when people call me that in real life, it's… embarrassing."

The Gundam pilot ignored the laughter pouring through her comm and focused instead on the halo colony, zooming in with her camera to find the Wargs who were constantly changing hiding places. A flash of red armour caught her eye and Laura froze. There, firing through a hole in the roof of a derelict building, was the Scarlet Wolf.

The sight of her hated enemy caused White Hellhound to snarl.

"Gladius, this is Orthrus! Target acquired!"

.

* * *

.

Vega sniped through the hole in the roof, sending blazing arrows into the enemies above, but even the marksmanship of the Scarlet Wolf was not enough. At this distance, the Garms simply hid behind their blast shields and returned fire. Without their speed, the Fenrir and Wargs had no means to outmanoeuvre the defensive tactics of the lumbering RDF mobile suits – tactics they had once scorned with laughter.

The sky lit up with another deluge of azure embers and Vega took cover. The volley of beams tore through the building she was in, peppering it with holes until it looked like Swiss cheese. When the shooting finally stopped, it was a miracle the structure didn't collapse under its new ventilation system and the Scarlet Wolf found herself pausing in the midst of battle.

Somewhere, she could hear Ursula shouting into her comm, requesting the Blue Crow for assistance. The operator yelled back, informing the captain that her request was impossible, as the Blue Crow already had to deal with two stalker RDF ships, avoiding a squadron of Garms, and navigating the debris field on top of it all. She overheard Luke trying to rally their comrades to safety, only to receive screams and the LIRA ace felt the quake of their exploding Wargs soon after.

Vega heard her own ragged breathing, which only seemed to grow louder and louder until it reached a deafening peak, dwarfing all other noises into the background. And suddenly there was complete silence and the technopath's eyes darted back to the hole in the roof. She caught sight of the RDF battleship as a series of rockets erupted from its bow and arced towards the colony.

"Missiles!"

She warned the Space Wolves over the comm, but she needn't have worried as all the projectiles gathered in her direction. Punching the Fenrir's thrusters to fire up, Vega hovered along the ground and dashed for the rear of the building, just avoiding the first missile. Her hiding spot went up in a plume of smoke and ash, the pilot just getting out as the roof was blown off, only for a second missile to strike behind her.

The force of the explosion threw the Fenrir through a wall and into the next building, half of which collapsed on top of the red mobile suit. While bombs and lasers rained down around her, rocking the cockpit with heat and tremors, Vega stirred from a near-concussion and found herself hanging from her harness. Judging from the hard ground on the monitor, the Fenrir was face down in front of a giant smoking crater, all that remained of the ancient building she had used for cover.

Noticing cracks in her vision, Vega removed her shattered helmet and her silver hair spilled out, both of which fell earthwards with the influence of gravity. The helmet clattered on the console and she heard Ursula's fearful voice calling for her with desperation.

However, the Scarlet Wolf was somewhere else. Perhaps it was the slight-concussion, but Vega Aurelia's mind had drifted from the battlefield and into the deepest recesses of her psyche, tactically analysing the situation in an endless loop. Every time, she came to the same conclusion.

_The trap is too perfect…_

Not only had their wings had been clipped, they were outnumbered, outgunned and outmanoeuvred. The enemy warship wasn't even using its beam cannon for fear of disabling the artificial gravity – all they had to do was eliminate them one at a time. Slow, but methodical, guaranteeing the Space Wolves' complete annihilation.

For once the ace of countless victories could think of nothing that would get her out of this – no bold plans, no technopathic tricks, and no inhuman feats of piloting against the odds. Nothing at all. The inability to attain an answer led her mind to settle in a dark place…

_ …Is this how I die?_

At the very thought, Vega's hands clenched into fists, and with gritted fangs the Scarlet Wolf clawed her away out of despair.

_No… not yet!_

She had come too far to die now – not when she still had so much to achieve. Until her ultimate goals were realised, the masked woman had promised herself she would survive no matter what.

Grasping the cockpit's flight stick and throttle with renewed vigour, the technopath gradually ramped her thrusters to full power and blue light shined from underneath the rubble. Moments later the remains of the building burying the Fenrir were blown away and the crimson mobile suit stood upright with blazing azure fire roaring from its exhausts. The defiant howl of its engine reminded Vega that so long as she and the Fenrir still lived, anything was possible.

"I made you wait, Fenrir," she whispered, her red lips smiling in apology. "But now I'm here – let us fight together until the end!"

As if responding to its master's fighting spirit, something flickered and materialised on the mobile suit's monitor – the image of a familiar halo.

"Schematics?" Vega blinked with astonishment. "Do you know this place, Fenrir?"

Perhaps it was the explosion or when the mobile suit had fallen over, making contact with the colony surface, but something had triggered the relic inside the Fenrir to show her this – this secret hidden in its memory. It was no mere map either – it appeared to show a live feed of the halo colony's status, even while separated into islands. The section representing the crescent island they were trapped on particularly caught Vega's eyes, because it was divided into two colours.

The half they were on was underlined blue. The other half was underlined red. And on another island, a flashing purple dot caused the Scarlet Wolf to grin.

"Come in, Blue Crow!" she put her comm on speaker and made a break for cover, narrowly avoiding another barrage. "Get me the commodore, now!"

"Major Aurelia!" Ursula's face appeared on-screen, the picture of relief, and was soon followed by the aged features of Commodore Sparrhorn.

"What is it, major?" he grumbled, as the lights of battle flashed over his moustache from off-screen. "If you haven't noticed, we have our own problems up here."

As well as being stalked by two RDF ships in the debris field, the Blue Crow was being harried by a squadron of Garms. Currently, the stealth ship took cover by weaving through a maze of floating Lemurian skyscrapers, but it was only a matter of time before it was cornered.

"Commodore, I need the Blue Crow to fire its cannon."

"And give away our position in the debris field?" Jonas looked at Vega like she was mad. "What madcap plan of yours requires that?"

"The plan that will save us all," the Scarlet Wolf replied, punching a hole in a wall and comparing the view outside to her schematic. "Commodore… I want the Blue Crow to fire on our position."

.

**END OF PART A**

* * *

Continued in Part B!


	9. Episode 05 - Fenrir Howling - Part B

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam.

* * *

Gundam Gemini

Episode Five

Fenrir Howling

Part B

.

After the missile salvo, the Fenrir had disappeared in the series of explosions that followed, leaving a smouldering ring of craters at its last sighted position, but that wasn't enough to satisfy Laura or the others. Experience told them Vega Aurelia was only dead when they saw her croak with their own eyes – preferably through the scope of a beam rifle. In the meantime, they had whittled the Wargs down to half their number with the Gladius' Garm Team, easily beating back the Space Wolves' futile attempts at resistance.

By all accounts, the RDF was on course for a crushing victory and there was nothing LIRA could do to stop them. But when a giant crimson beam from the heart of the debris field plummeted into the colony's crescent island, spearing it down the middle, future records agreed – this was the true turning point of the battle.

"What the hell was that?!" Freya cried, her blue eyes bulging as she watched the island split in two on her monitor.

"Come in, Lionheart!" Laura yelled into her comm, whilst keeping her gaze on the rupturing colony. "What just happened?"

"T-The enemy ship just fired its cannon!" the operator replied, as shocked as the rest of them.

"Why did they shoot their own troops?" Sofia interjected, puzzled. "It wasn't an act of desperation; they were definitely aiming for the colony… but I don't see how this will change the battle's outcome."

"Whatever the case, the Lunar Fox just gave away their position," Milos appeared next, bringing order to the situation. "The Lionheart and the Tachi will converge on the stealth ship and eliminate it as planned. Team Orthrus, stay with the Gladius and monitor the enemies still on the colony. Don't let your guard down – this isn't over yet."

"Laura, look! Something's not right!"

Alice alerted her comrades and they studied the crescent island breaking apart before their eyes. The knife-like beam had severed it into two clean halves, which were now pulling apart and bending towards them like a pair of forceps. As the Gladius and Garms retreated to avoid the still-functioning artificial gravity, the orphans finally saw what Alice meant.

The right half where the Space Wolves were, black and ruined from their attacks, was pulling in junk from the debris field. But the left half was repelling the debris and its surface was vacant.

"It's defective…" Laura whispered, before her purple eyes swelled with alarm. "The artificial gravity is defective! It's going to push them out!"

The technopath's worst fears were realised when she zoomed in and saw the shapes of five mobile suits rocketing towards the edge of the island. At their head, like the beast of her namesake at full sprint, was the Scarlet Wolf.

"Follow me, Space Wolves!"

Helmetless, Vega led her pack with a war cry, leaping off the beam-melted chasm and out of the artificial gravity's influence. With a satisfying gust from their thrusters, the survivors soared on blue streaks back into the vacuum of space – and headed straight for the other island. As soon as they reached it, the defective gravity threw them up like a whirlwind and into the path of the RDF.

"It's like we're falling!" Ursula cried, with a mixture of fright and awe.

"This is insane!" Unlike the captain, Luke laughed and embraced the rush of speed. "We're using both gravity and our thrusters to accelerate!"

In no time at all, they had closed the distance with the RDF and the wounds the Space Wolves had endured were still raw. One utterance was all Vega needed to ignite the fire of bloodlust inside her bitter comrades.

"Our turn!" she barked, spurring the wolves back into battle. "Tear them limb from limb, Space Wolves!"

When the dozen-strong squadron of Garms realised the enemy was already upon them, they charged forward to meet the Fenrir and Wargs, buoyed by their superior numbers. But it was a false sense of security, for the Space Wolves were each worth far more than any regular RDF pilot, as the orphans well knew. Despite their warnings, the squad left them behind and marched to their doom.

Using their accumulated velocity, the Space Wolves outmanoeuvred the Garms before they could even react, flanking and surrounding the flummoxed mobile suits from all sides. Four multi-directional bursts of plasma later and the Wargs had dispatched an equal number of exploding enemies, allowing the Fenrir to charge straight down the middle. With her trademark style of dual wielding a beamsabre and rifle at the same time, the Scarlet Wolf shot down another Garm before weaving through the explosions and gutting another two with her blade.

But instead of continuing towards the RDF battleship, Vega veered off towards one of the nearby islands of the broken colony.

"I leave the rest to you, Ursula!"

"You owe me, major!" the captain responded with ire and proceeded to crash land on top of an enemy Garm, firing down its throat before thrusting away as it detonated.

"Payback!" Luke hollered with glee, kicking the shield of another Garm into their head unit, before slipping his rifle in and remodelling the cockpit with hot plasma.

"Vega Aurelia!"

En route to help the Garm team, Laura stopped in her tracks and cried out when she saw the Fenrir run from the battle.

"After her, Laura!" Freya urged her, surging ahead with Alice.

"We'll handle this!" Alice declared, and Laura bit her lip.

"Thanks, Freya! Alice!"

While the Orthrus blasted off in pursuit of the Scarlet Wolf, the remaining orphans propelled themselves into the fray.

"Don't get cocky, mutts!"

Freya swung behind one of the Garms, saving it from a beam to the back with her shield, before pouncing on the shooter. After bashing the Warg's face in with her shield, the pink diva finished it off with a beamsabre down its torso and reversed from the imminent explosion – only for another Warg to dive into her from above. The pilots crossed blades and exchanged glares, sparking a startling realisation.

"You!" Freya hissed, recognising one of the more skilled and annoying Space Wolves from Lenos.

"You again!" Ursula grumbled inside her Warg, identifying the more aggressive pilot of the Orthrus' comrades. "Leave this one to me! Take Tanaka and mop up the rest, Lieutenant Valorie!"

"Easier said than done, captain!" Luke grimaced, dodging another beam. Just as he'd remembered, one of the Hellhound's sidekicks was a crack shot with a beam rifle and was supporting its allies by sniping at the Wargs from a far.

Ignoring the aiming reticules on her monitor, Alice fired on intuition, throwing the surviving Garms a lifeline by keeping the enemy at bay while they regrouped. But the Space Wolves were slippery and more than capable of biding their time until reinforcements arrived or she ran out of plasma. Unfortunately for them, the Disappointing Angel was having none of that – they had to hurry and help Laura take down the Scarlet Wolf.

"Come in, Gladius!" she yelled into her comm, whilst pulling the trigger. "Requesting covering fire!"

Leaving the battle to rage on behind her, Laura chased after the Fenrir with the single-mindedness of a bloodhound. The Scarlet Wolf may have escaped her last time at the asteroid facility, where the Orthrus had to fight with an arm tied behind its back, but now the tables had turned and there was nothing to get in the way of the Gundam pilot's revenge. Soon enough the red mobile suit was in range, burning its propellant into a fiery blue contrail with abandon, and Laura lined up her shot mid-flight.

Bursts of azure plasma discharged from the rifle's barrel and converged on their target, until the Fenrir twisted and turned at the last second. As expected of the Scarlet Wolf, this wasn't going to be easy – as if it ever was, Laura told herself. But as the technopath fired off more beams, it struck her that Vega wasn't even fighting back – in fact, the LIRA ace was usually the one chasing her.

"What is she doing…?" Laura muttered, and watched bug-eyed as the Fenrir dived towards another floating section of the halo colony – back into the influence of gravity. "Is she crazy?!"

So the Gundam pilot exclaimed, until she made a split-second decision and dived after the falling red mobile suit. There was no way she was letting Vega Aurelia get away again. Whatever she was planning, Laura would just have to shoot her down before she could do it.

The acceleration that came with the artificial gravity allowed Vega to pull ahead, but she wasn't surprised when the White Hellhound showed up on the Fenrir's rear camera, firing away even in freefall.

"Tenacious, aren't you?" Vega grinned, her silver hair billowing behind her seat. "But I have no time to play with you!"

Bringing up the flashing purple dot on the schematic and comparing it to the ruins below on her monitor, Vega scanned both until she found a match. There – at the top of the tower still standing. As she adjusted the Fenrir's trajectory, its relic detection instrument went off. Buoyed by the high-pitched tone, the Scarlet Wolf rammed the throttle forward and surpassed terminal velocity.

Inside the Orthrus, Laura also heard the whine of her own detection instrument but pulled up instead, kicking in her reverse thrusters and jolting the suit back up right. While the Gundam's feet blasted out blue fire and hovered towards the ground, she watched open-mouthed as the Fenrir continued its mad descent. Even if Vega got the relic, what good was it if she died a fiery death in the process?

"There's no way she's going to survive…!"

But Vega Aurelia had a habit of exceeding expectations. With one shot she blew the top of the lone tower away, exposing the purple cube beneath. Discarding her empty rifle, she let the Fenrir plummet upside down towards the relic and reached out its hand.

The cube grew closer on her monitor. Vega held her breath. But when she made contact, the relic did not just glow.

It shined like a burning star and everything was bathed in blinding amethyst.

.

* * *

.

When the light finally subsided, only a few seconds has passed, but for Vega it had felt like an eternity. At the moment of technopathic contact, she had become a lightning rod for the relic as it disseminated its data into the Fenrir in an instant – and it wasn't just a deluge of information shocking her senses. The Scarlet Wolf could feel overwhelming power surging through her, like nothing she had ever felt before.

Finally, the electricity coursing through Vega ceased with the dimming of the light, only for the view on the cockpit monitor to startle her. According to the monitor, the Fenrir was still in freefall after having grasped the relic in its hand from the tower, but the image was completely frozen. At first the masked pilot thought time had stopped, until a strand of silver hair floated by her face and she realised the truth.

"…The artificial gravity is gone."

Laura noticed too. When the purple light had faded, the Orthrus was no longer falling towards the colony, but floating in zero-g again. Remembering the Scarlet Wolf, the technopath darted her eyes back to its last sighting and physically recoiled when she saw it hanging upside down and completely motionless.

"That's impossible…" she whispered, recalling the Fenrir's momentum before the flash. "It should be a flaming pile of scrap!"

Grinding her jaw with both disbelief and anger, Laura rammed the throttle to full power and dived in to finish the job herself. The Orthrus flew in, firing its beam rifle rapidly, yet with precision. The familiar mental jolt warning Vega of the White Hellhound's presence shook her back into combat and she reached for her controls.

Only for the Fenrir to move by itself.

With the deftest of movements, the red mobile suit shifted out of the path of the incoming beams, sliding side to side. When the Orthrus closed in and tried to ram the Fenrir with its shield instead, Vega gasped as the cockpit rolled and somersaulted seemingly of its own volition. Buzzing by her target, Laura slammed on her reverse thrusters and spun around, so she could gawk at the Scarlet Wolf – it had evaded all of her attacks, yet the Gundam pilot could have sworn not a single thruster had been fired.

"How did it do that…?"

The same question raced through Vega's mind and sweeping the hair from her eyes she saw the relic was still in the Fenrir's hand and a sudden hypothesis formed. She took a breath and focused her technopathic abilities, searching for the same power she had experienced before. Seconds later, the noblewoman's lips curved into a slow and glorious red smile.

"It worked…" she whispered, before laughing like a madwoman. "Oh, my Fenrir, you beautiful beast! I knew you could do it!"

The Fenrir flipped back over to face the Orthrus, floating down to its level and landing on the broken tower, all without the use of its thrusters in zero-G. Laura watched with bated breath and inhaled sharply when she finally saw the mobile suit from the front. It was no longer the colour of scarlet, but a deep burgundy, almost dark obsidian until the faint light of the distant Lemurian sun shined upon it.

"Mode change…?" Laura whispered, scarcely believing it until she saw the relic in the Fenrir's hand and drawing the only possible conclusion. "The Fenrir… is a relic?"

Inside her cockpit, Vega had ceased her chuckling and instead basked in the Fenrir's new Gravity Mode. As she suspected, with just a technopathic thought she could 'will' the mobile suit to 'fall' in any direction, giving her a limitless degree of movement without delay. The implications of an artificial gravity relic for Lux were revolutionary, not to mention for the Lemurian Conflict – but all the Scarlet Wolf could see was the raw power flowing through her being.

"Incredible… this feeling…!"

And it was all hers. With this, she had taken another step – no, a leap – towards her real ambition. At the knowledge of what was so close at hand, Vega could not contain herself and covered her widening mouth – for she could not stop grinning with glee. What would Ursula say if she could see her leader now?

But the sight of the Orthrus on her monitor tempered Vega's merriment and her lips creased into a grim line. By the manner of the White Hellhound's paralysed state, the pilot must surely have realised by now the meaning of the Fenrir's coat change and was sufficiently wary. That, or she was staring at the gravity relic within the Fenrir's grasp and Vega could not have that.

"I know what you must be thinking, Hellhound…" the Scarlet Wolf began, before baring her fangs in a ferocious show of possessiveness. "…But this power belongs to me and me alone!"

Holding the glowing relic out for her foe to see, Vega began to squeeze. By the time Laura even fathomed what she was doing, it was too late – the technopath, frozen with shock, could only watch. With the aid of the Fenrir's new gravity powers, the Scarlet Wolf crushed the relic within its fist and the artifact shattered, exploding into a myriad of purple shards.

While Laura was rendered speechless, Vega admired her handiwork with a satisfied smirk. Now it truly belonged to only the Fenrir and her.

"Major Aurelia! Come in, major!" the urgent call of the Blue Crow's operator graced Vega's ears, before Commodore Sparrhorn himself barked down the comm.

"Vega! If you're quite done, some assistance would be appreciated!"

At the commodore's request, the Scarlet Wolf's lips widened again into an eager smile. A perfect opportunity to put the Fenrir's new Gravity Mode through its paces had just arrived. Without warning, the maroon suit launched into space and left the ruined colony behind.

Laura swore and lighted up her thrusters, but the Fenrir was far ahead and leaving the Orthrus in its dust. The combination of artificial gravity and the Fenrir's own engine had it accelerating towards the debris field with impossible speed, pushing Vega back into her seat from the g-forces. She could feel the Gundanium in the suit's composite armour while they fell and was able to guide the Fenrir through the debris field by applying technopathic nudges to its sides, driving it with gravity – Gravity Fall, Vega named it with euphoria.

Just as she was getting the hang of it, the Fenrir arrived at the Blue Crow's coordinates – right into the middle of a firefight between the stealth vessel and an RDF battleship with its attached squadron of Garms. A flustered Vega reversed the pull of gravity to behind the Fenrir and threw its leg thrusters out in front, desperately trying to decelerate in time before she crashed into her own ship. The result was she stopped right in front of the Garms as they were flanking the Blue Crow, who were polite enough to pause and marvel at the Scarlet Wolf's new paintjob before blasting her with plasma.

"Right into the hornet's nest!" Vega cursed, dodging left and right.

"Glad you could make it, major," Commodore Sparrhorn's sarcasm greeted her through the comm, and he was soon joined by the operator on radar.

"The other two enemy ships are approaching us from our sides, captain! They'll be in cannon range soon!"

Jonas grunted. Either the remaining Space Wolves had fallen or they had failed to be enough of a threat to keep the other vessel occupied and now the Blue Crow faced a triage encirclement. The eyes of the Lunar Fox hardened and he relayed his orders – they still had time before the noose was pulled taut.

"Deal with the Garms, Vega! Leave the enemy ship to the Blue Crow!"

"Yes, captain!" Vega replied, for once in no mood for jests, and commanded the Fenrir to Gravity Fall through the rain of beams.

The Scarlet Wolf weaved through the barrage, shocking the Garms with her esoteric flying which seemed to rely on little or no propulsion at all, and it arced into their blind spots like a boomerang. Igniting a red beamsabre for each hand, curved and elongated by Gravity Mode, Vega tore into their formation and sliced open the bellies of two Garms at once before they exploded behind her. Immediately Gravity Falling into a tight U-turn, the obsidian suit seemed to skate back the way it came and ripped through the squadron again, but upside down.

However, as the Fenrir ate through the Garms one by one using its new and uncanny agility, its masked pilot could only grumble with dissatisfaction.

"This is nothing new to us, Fenrir," she said, as if goading the machine. "Surely, this is not all you can do?"

As if retorting, a technopathic current pricked Vega's mind, leading her to an undiscovered node within Gravity Mode's overflowing power. Licking her lips, the noblewoman pulled the Fenrir to a halt and let the remaining six Garms line up their rifles. When the beams discharged, Vega concentrated on the front of the Fenrir and her monitor flashed with bright light.

The burgundy mobile suit should have been skewered a dozen times over – instead, the beams bent around the machine. Stunned, the Garms kept firing only to witness the same result and the Fenrir was covered by a blue sphere of flickering light. Inside her cockpit, Vega chuckled, admiring the gravity field given off by the Gundanium she could only feel before as it curved hot plasma around her – like a Gravity Shield.

"That's better!" she cried, finally pushing the throttle.

Hatching a brilliant plan, the Scarlet Wolf fell backwards and through the debris of the Garms' departed comrades, expanding her gravity field and catching them within it. As they orbited around the Fenrir like its own satellites, Vega accelerated back forward into enemy fire, gathering speed until she got close - before suddenly releasing the robotic appendages from her field and launching them at the stunned Garms. Like her own projectiles, the rain of mobile suit parts shattered their cockpits with accuracy, creating more ammunition for Gravity Mode to pick up as the Fenrir passed by.

"Gravity Pull… Gravity Throw…" Vega named her newest powers with delight, noting the force of the field dictated what she could pull in as she impaled the last Garm with a decapitated head unit.

Having singlehandedly annihilated the Garm team, Vega turned her attention to the enemy ship accosting the Blue Crow. It appeared to be stalling, retreating through the debris field and taking advantage of the longer range of its beam cannon, waiting until its allies arrived so they could finish off the LIRA ship together. Another idea took hold of the masked pilot's lips, which curved with relish, and she fell into the path of the white battleship using Gravity Fall.

In a thrilling freefall, Vega plummeted between the two ships as they exchanged fire, dodging and coiling around thick streams of plasma and charred debris with heart-pounding nimbleness, until the Fenrir went under the enemy vessel. Once there, the technopath focused her abilities, expanding the gravity field as far as she could and pulling at the ship's hull as she fell past. Nothing happened at first, but slowly the battleship lost its mobility and by the time the Fenrir had come to stop at its rear, the ship was being held in place by an invisible force.

"Blue Crow!" Vega screamed into comm, and Sparrhorn almost leapt out of his chair as he gave the order.

"Fire!"

From the darkness of the black cruiser's cannon, the opening began to build with red light until it erupted with potent energy. Like a wave of concentrated lava, it flew straight for the immobilised Tachi, vaporising a giant hole down the length of its hull and out the other end. At the same time, Vega released it from the grip of Gravity Pull and moved clear of the explosion that followed, watching as the burnt wreckage seemed to sink before it broke up into countless pieces.

"Not bad, Fenrir," she whispered, panting, surprised by how much expanding the gravity field had taken out of her. It appeared that the larger she made it, the more difficult it was to control, particularly when trying to catch something big. Still, Vega had just been trying to immobilise the battleship and she could not help but think the Fenrir's new gravity powers could have gone even further.

However, her thoughts were cut short when two azure beams lit up the debris field – forming a burning cross with the Blue Crow at its centre. The stealth ship managed to thrust forward, avoiding the first shot from below, only to be grazed by the second down its flank and the raging plasma sheared off a good chunk of its armour. The vessel was left with a scorching red trench, exposing its frame, and when small explosions followed the Blue Crow began to tilt.

"What a shot…!" Commodore Sparrhorn whispered under his breath, amidst the clamour of alarms and damage reports on the bridge.

From the direction of the second beam, the Lionheart thrusted away from the floating Lemurian building it had been hiding behind, which now had a sizable hole in its side courtesy of the ship's smoking cannon. On the bridge, the maimed state of the Blue Crow was shown on-screen and Milos pumped his fist.

"The Tachi's sacrifice won't be for naught!" he cried, before speaking into his comm. "We have the fox by the tail, Gladius! Take his belly – this one's yours!"

The RDF ships closed in on their wounded prey like sharks to blood – one from behind and the other from below. The Blue Crow fired up what thrusters it could and limped away, but from her vantage point Vega could see the situation was dire.

"Vega! The Blue Crow can't outrun both ships!" Sparrhorn shouted into her ears, and for once the Lunar Fox sounded ill-at-ease. "Stop one, stall it, anything!"

"Understood, commodore!"

The Scarlet Wolf was already falling towards the Gladius, the ship that had pinned the Space Wolves down on the crescent colony. Vega spared a thought for Ursula and the others at the sight of the vessel, but her prayers for their safety were cast aside when the Gladius launched its entire silo of missiles in the direction the Blue Crow. The masked pilot acted at once, showing no hesitation in her gritted features as she fell into their path.

"I won't let you!"

Expanding her field, Vega Gravity Pulled as much debris as she could on her way down before flinging them at the missile cluster like scattershot. Several rockets exploded, taking more than half the salvo with them in a sea of fire, but a few made it through – right into the waiting arms of the Scarlet Wolf. Catching the zooming projectiles in her gravity field as they passed each other, Vega gently guided them behind the Fenrir – and back in the direction of the Gladius.

Giving them an extra, Gravity Throw-induced push, she released the rockets and they hurtled towards their new target. The Gladius responded with point-defence, blazing down one missile with its Vulcan gatling guns, only for the remaining warhead to slip through and slam into its bow. But the resulting explosion wasn't enough to down the giant ship and seeing its cannon charge with blue light, Vega fell under the vessel and gripped it using Gravity Pull.

The Gladius wrestled with the growing weight on its hull, twisting in place as its thrusters blared with blue fire, but the Scarlet Wolf held firm. Eventually the cannon went off, sending a massive blast of indigo plasma into space and it flew by the Blue Crow, missing it by a hair. However, any relief was short-lived, and Vega watched as the hobbled black vessel dodged another beam from behind as the relic hunter ship gave chase.

Instinct howled at the Scarlet Wolf to go help them, but the RDF battleship struggling above her would simply attack again if she released it. The only thing Vega could do was watch as the Blue Crow made its last stand. As powerful as the Fenrir's new Gravity Mode was, it could not change the conclusion playing out before her eyes, leaving its pilot with her last resort.

Run away.

Flee, as far as she could, without looking back. Though Vega may put up a gallant and reckless front before her comrades, it would surprise them to know that the Scarlet Wolf placed her survival above all else. Because if she did not live, all she had fought and struggled for would be for naught.

But the faces of Ursula, Luke and the other Space Wolves, current and departed, flashed through her mind, looking upon her with admiration. Commodore Sparrhorn and the crew of the Blue Crow appeared next, and a pang of guilt thumped her heart. Vega thought she had been prepared for this eventuality, when she left everyone behind, but she was wrong – she hadn't been prepared at all.

"For me to feel this way again… such sentimental drivel. But still…" the masked woman whispered under her breath, before gritting her fangs and howling against fate. "Come, Fenrir! If we die, we die knocking on the gates of hell!"

As if answering the technopath's passionate resolve, something awakened in the maroon machine and its eyes glowed like a pair of rubies. The gravity field it generated began to grow in size and power, until it encompassed the entire battleship and a small section of space. Debris drifted into its influence as if blown by a breeze, only to accelerate with alarming velocity, and suddenly the Fenrir was in the centre of a tornado.

"Captain, I'm picking up a distress signal – it's from the Gladius!"

"What?!" Milos accidently barked at the operator, irritated to have his fox hunt interrupted. "On-screen!"

When the bridge of the Lionheart saw the state of the Gladius, there was a collective gasp. The hulking battleship was not only in the middle of a storm in space, being battered from all sides by flying debris, it was actually bending – and, unless their eyes were deceiving them, at the centre of the storm, underneath the Gladius, was a mobile suit. It was floating in a black sphere, a perfect bubble devoid of light like the colour of the suit itself, as it sucked everything towards it.

"The Fenrir…" Milos whispered, recognising its shape and glowing crimson eyes, which shined like twin stars through the darkness.

On the Blue Crow, the bridge was watching the exact same events in silence and even Commodore Sparrhorn was speechless. Never in all his years serving LIRA had he ever seen something like this.

"Vega…" Jonas whispered, staring at the Scarlet Wolf's devilish transformation.

Inside her cockpit, Vega could feel the power swirling all around outside through her technopathic abilities, power far beyond that of Gravity Pull. Like a black hole, the gravity field was attracting everything it could and accelerating it towards the singularity that was the Fenrir – and the force was still growing stronger. On the monitor, she could see the Gladius' keel bending over the Fenrir's head like a twig threatening to snap and the masked pilot's lips curved dangerously.

With one command, the Gladius's fate was sealed.

"Gravity… Howl!"

A crack appeared underneath the Gladius' hull, before it swelled into a jagged fissure. Moments later, the battleship collapsed under its own weight and shattered into two flaking halves, sending white debris and lifeless crew bursting into space. Both the Lionheart and the Blue Crow watched in horror as the vessel was transformed into wreckage, all in an instant.

But the Scarlet Wolf wasn't done there.

Reappearing in the middle of the chaos like a fallen angel with shrapnel orbiting around it, the Fenrir raised its arm before bringing it down, and the remains of the Gladius began to accelerate forward – right into the path of the Lionheart. When its stunned crew realised the white meteor shower on the main monitor was headed their way, it took all their training not to panic.

"Captain, change course!" Sofia cried, and Milos nodded in agreement.

"Helmsman, take us down! As fast as you can!"

The Lionheart pitched forward, trying to avoid the falling debris, but the Scarlet Wolf was one step ahead of them. Following along so her giant projectiles would continue to gather speed inside her enormous gravity field, the masked pilot guided the debris so it was in line with the Lionheart's new heading before releasing them. When the battlecruiser realised the hail of destruction had followed them, they were already were caught inside the storm.

The smaller pieces of metal slammed into Lionheart and the crew braced, but the quaking hull held against the constant impacts. It was the larger pieces of scrap plummeting from above that posed the real threat – just one would rip the battlecruiser apart and the helmsman was sweating bullets weaving through them all. It wasn't only debris either; occasionally the limp form of one of the Gladius' crew would fly past. As the bombardment continued, Milos grit his teeth.

"Captain Hartmann!" Unlike him, Sofia's red eyes showed no hesitation to give the order the captain knew he must.

"I know!" Milos shouted, biting his lip. "Fire the main cannon!"

At his order the ship's main cannon fired from beneath it, destroying multiple parts of the Gladius before they reached the Lionheart with a beam of purifying blue light. Any survivors still inside would have been extinguished, but in exchange a way to safety was cleared and the battlecruiser darted ahead – only for another falling piece of the Gladius to explode far above the escaping ship. From it, a pillar of red plasma plunged from the heavens, having pierced through the debris and the beam penetrated the Lionheart's stern with remarkable accuracy.

"Are you kidding me?!" Milos bellowed, keeping a hand on his cap as the Lionheart floundered to regain control, knowing exactly who shot them. "How do you make that shot?!"

"That bastard used the debris as cover! To mask the energy signature of their beam cannon!" Sofia cried from her station, as furious as any of the crew had ever seen her. "I'm going make a fur coat out of that fox!"

On the bridge of the Blue Crow, the sight of the hobbled relic hunters on the monitor caused Jonas to smile. While it appeared they would have enough inertia left to escape the debris shower, it was obvious the beam had damaged their foe's engines and left them immobilised. But as he was about to order the decisive blow, the Crow suffered another ripple of explosions.

"Captain, the cannon has suffered structural damage!" an operator reported. "It's offline!"

"Blast!" the commodore swore, showing rare frustration by hitting his chair. "Vega, the Blue Crow's cannon is offline! Take care of them!"

"I would, commodore," Vega replied from her cockpit, keeping the Fenrir still as debris floated around them. "But it appears I'm not alone…"

From behind one of the fragments of the Gladius, the Orthrus burst from its hiding place with thrusters blazing.

"Vega Aurelia!" Laura cried with fury and blasted at the Fenrir with her rifle.

"White Hellhound!" Vega returned the sentiment, smiling as she deflected the beams around her Gravity Shield, before taking off.

The pair played a game of cat and mouse in the debris field and while they were familiar with one another's piloting styles by now, the Fenrir's new Gravity Mode was an unknown element the Orthrus could not afford to underestimate.

No longer succumbing to her own impulsiveness in the face of the Scarlet Wolf, Laura kept her distance and used the debris as cover, darting from one to the next as she analysed the maroon suit's unique flight patterns and abilities. Although the Fenrir appeared to defy the laws of physics as it changed directions at will, the Gundam pilot could tell Vega was still testing its limits and managed to slip behind her adversary, where she unleashed a spray of azure plasma. The Fenrir's invisible gravity field refracted the beams around it again, but Laura kept her cool and thrusted back into hiding – she knew from experience that Mode Change had at least one weakness.

"You never fail to disappoint me, White Hellhound!" Vega grinned, Gravity Throwing stray debris behind her before falling backwards and chasing her rival.

Compared to Laura, the Scarlet Wolf was so exhilarated by her new abilities, she had fallen back into old habits and played with her food. Licking her red lips, the ace plummeted after the Orthrus, feeling the thrill of the wind inside her cockpit as they zigzagged through the debris field. On her way down, Vega pulled a range of Lemurian vehicles into the Fenrir's orbit, hurling them at her prey and marvelled as the White Hellhound evaded or shot them down with ease.

The masked pilot was so drunk on the power of Gravity Mode, she only noticed the state of her energy reserves when the flashing red bar was perilously low.

Having bided her time long enough, Laura dashed out of cover – but this time, the Orthrus was the colour of gold. Soaring on momentum, she discarded her empty rifle and spread her arms wide open.

"Solar Flare!"

At the sight of the Orthrus' chest cannon, Vega took a sharp intake of breath and dodged the heavy violet beam by thrusting sideways. The blast streamed past her with blinding light, tamer than she remembered, but the frozen lake in its path was still boiled into a cloud of steam before crystallising again. Gravity Shield may be effective against beam rifles, but she didn't dare take her chances with a heavy-class beam cannon.

"Got you!"

Vega felt another presence and a Garm ambushed the Fenrir from the shadow of a Lemurian house, brandishing a blue beamsabre. She caught it just in time using her own curved blade, only to repel a slashing purple beamsabre from the other side as the gold Orthrus charged in. With crimson scimitars in both hands, the Scarlet Wolf grit her fangs and wrestled with her attackers only to be sandwiched in place.

"What's wrong? What happened to your fancy new powers?" Freya sneered at the burgundy mobile suit on the monitor and pumped more power into her thrusters.

"I knew it! She's out of juice!" Laura exclaimed and her eyes matched with her beamsabre as they both glinted with satisfaction. "Mode Change is powerful, but without proper calibration the first time always has a drawback!"

Inside her cockpit, Vega cursed when she realised the Orthrus had incited her to use her gravity powers before luring the battery-drained Fenrir into an ambush. The ace had misjudged the rate of energy usage in Gravity Mode, not to mention the stimulation of Gravity Howl sucking the reserves dry and distracting her. What was worse, she remembered the relic hunter pilots came in a trio – so where was the third one?

Directly above the masked pilot, aiming her rifle from behind the cover of a large sheet of scrap metal, Alice had the Fenrir's head unit in her sights.

"Burn in hell, Scarlet Wolf…" the pilot whispered, and squeezed her trigger as the reticule went red.

The beam should have impaled the Fenrir down its spine and liquified its cockpit like a flaming azure arrow – but a shadow pulled into its path and swatted the beam down with a defiant crimson beamsabre.

"I won't let you!" Ursula shouted, and deflected another bolt of blue lightning as an irate Alice let loose.

"Ursula!" Vega cried, her red lips spreading with surprise and relief, and another familiar voice graced her ears.

"Don't forget me, major!" said Luke, and his Warg assailed Freya's Garm from below with a gleaming sabre.

The pink diva spotted him, cursed, and broke off from the Fenrir so Luke slashed only void. But he made the mistake of chasing the Garm up and into the angelic sniper's line of fire. With extraordinary timing only practice and familiarity could achieve, Freya veered out of the way just as Alice fired her rifle, catching the Warg's head unit and blinding its pilot.

"Nice try!" Freya jeered at her would-be-assassin, coiling back and ramming her beamsabre through the Warg's chest.

"Luke!" Ursula screamed, and watched in horror as his mobile suit was transformed into a fire ball. "Damn you!"

With a furious war cry, the captain switched targets and charged into Luke's killer, using the smoke from his own explosion to hide from the sniper above. Alice clicked her tongue and the next time she saw the Warg it was grappling with Freya's Garm, denying her a clean shot. Keeping the Garm between her and the sniper, Ursula kneed Freya's cockpit, dazing its pilot, before pulling her beamsabre back for the killing blow.

But Freya had kept one eye open.

"Shoot, Alice!"

The Disappointing Angel spied the expulsion of an ejection seat and its pilot from the Garm and pulled the trigger. Hot blue plasma pierced through the Garm's back, bursting through its chest and shearing off the Warg's arm, before the machine exploded in front of Ursula at point-blank.

"Ursula!"

Vega called out for her subordinate and gasped when she saw her Warg was still intact. Relief transformed into anger and the Scarlet Wolf unsheathed her deadly red foot sabres, kicking and freeing herself from the White Hellhound. It was only for a fraction of a second, but the masked pilot's technopathic abilities heighted in that moment, so when she Gravity Threw her beamsabre it boomeranged around the debris field like a spinning razorblade.

Laura's jaw dropped when she saw the flaming torch arc into Alice's nest with perfect aim, from her blind spot no less, and the explosion of light in the distance had the orphan in hysterics.

"Freya! Alice!"

With an ear-piercing scream she cancelled Solar Mode and charged into the Scarlet Wolf, and their neon blades crossed with flying sparks.

"Laura, we're okay!" Alice dropped in on her com and the technopath almost blubbered at the sound of her voice, which was soon followed by another.

"It's up to you now, Laura!" Freya barked into her ears. "Take her down!"

With a guttural roar, Laura hacked at the Fenrir with a series of rending strikes of its beamsabre and shield, scorching the Wolf's claret armour with dark plasma burns. It was all Vega could do to fend off the assault, daring not to use even her thrusters lest her battery cells flatlined, and the White Hellhound pushed her around the debris field like a hockey puck. But the Scarlet Wolf knew she had enough power left for one final Gravity Fall and bided her time, waiting for her chance.

Her patience paid off when the Orthrus kicked the Fenrir into a piece of the Tachi's charred hull and engaged its thrusters to close the gap, propelling itself on fiery azure wings. Vega waited until the Hellhound was in range, just before it swung its beamsabre – and technopathically commanded them both to fall. Both mobiles suits accelerated, with the Orthrus falling into the Fenrir – but Laura fell faster due to her raging thrusters, and now it was Vega who closed the gap.

"You're mine, Hellhound!" the Scarlet Wolf howled and kicked off the debris to her back, pointing her blazing sword skyward and letting inertia do the rest.

Laura moved to jerk her flight stick and raise her shield, but knew it was a skirmish that would be decided in milliseconds – and Vega Aurelia had calculated flawlessly. The Orthrus should have been impaled by its own momentum and the pale technopath with it. But just when the Gundam pilot thought it was over, a rapid burst of plasma shot across her monitor.

The first beam curved around the Fenrir's gravity field, but it was enough to break it in its weakened state, and with its power sapped the maroon suit reverted to its original scarlet shade. The rest of the azure volley hit not only the Fenrir, but the veering Orthrus too, and Laura thankfully had her shield up already. Startled to find her beamsabre shot out of her hand before she could land the killing blow, Vega thrusted away before she collided with the Orthrus, using the White Hellhound as cover.

But to the surprise of both pilots, the interloper kept firing and was revealed to be a navy blue Garm armed with duel rifles, which it was currently unloading into Laura's blast shield in an attempt to hit the Fenrir.

"You idiot, I'm on your side!" Laura shouted into her comm, weathering the barrage while the Scarlet Wolf got away.

Somewhat amused, Vega watched from her vantage point as the newcomer gave her rival a dose of friendly fire. The masked pilot contemplated taking advantage of the situation to attack again but erred on the side of caution, seeing her depleted power, and a final burst of the Fenrir's thrusters carried her away into the debris field. The spectacle was distraction enough, however, that the Scarlet Wolf never saw the indigo light bearing down on her.

.

* * *

.

When the moron in the blue Garm finally stopped firing, Laura spun the Orthrus around to give chase to the Fenrir – only for a wave of blue plasma to surge overheard. Blinded by the light, she shielded her eyes and when the heavy beam finally passed the Scarlet Wolf was nowhere to be seen in the debris field. Swearing into her helmet, the technopath took a breath and opened her comm.

"Freya, Alice! Are you alright?"

"Still in one piece," Freya responded, thrusting out of her hiding place with Alice on their ejector seats and meeting up with the Orthrus.

"Sorry… it looks like she got away again," Laura sighed, bottling up her irritation with a frown.

"Don't blame yourself, Laura. No one could have predicted the Fenrir was a relic like the Orthrus," Alice assured her friend.

"That power was insane… she took out a whole ship by herself," Freya shivered at the memory. "But this doesn't change what we need to do – we'll get her next time, Laura."

The Pink Diva was right, but Laura still mentally kicked herself and grit her teeth in furious silence. It was galling enough to have fought Vega Aurelia to a draw on three occasions, but this time she had gotten away with a powerful relic – a relic the Orthrus could have used – and it stung. Three missed chances to avenge Tully and now the Scarlet Wolf was more dangerous than ever – frustration couldn't even begin to describe her turmoil of emotions.

The girl needed an outlet.

"…Well, I might have got her if not for this idiot," Fuming, Laura turned her livid purple gaze on the interloper and opened the RDF comm channel to vent her wrath. "Hey, you in the blue Garm! What the hell was that? You almost killed me!"

Her greeting was met with strange noises on the other side, like the pilot was making fun of her and blowing a raspberry, before the channel went dead.

"I think he's ignoring me!"

"That bastard flyboy! He's lucky I don't have my Garm right now!" Freya shook her fist.

"But where did he come from?" asked Alice, curious.

"From the same ship that beam fired from, I guess," said Laura, following the navy blue Garm with narrowed eyes as it headed back the way it came. "Wait, I know that ship…"

The familiar RDF battleship on her monitor glided into view and the orphans all shouted at the same time.

"The Baselard!"

On the bridge of the Lionheart, Milos quietly wiped the sweat from his brow before replacing his cap with a twist, and addressed his comm.

"Glad you could make it, Captain – no, Admiral Turner."

The older man with a familiar white beard appeared on-screen, sporting a new insignia on his RDF uniform indicating the rank of rear-admiral, and Milos and Sofia saluted.

"I regret we couldn't arrive earlier," said the admiral, surveying the destruction on his monitor. "But at least the Lionheart is safe – and I just received a report that Team Orthrus and its pilots are unharmed as well."

"Thank you, admiral," Milos sighed with relief at the news, before spying the blue Garm returning to the Baselard's hangar bay. "Is that the pilot you spoke of?"

"Yes, he has his share of… issues, but with some discipline he should make a fine addition to the Lionheart's crew. There's a lot he can teach those ensigns of yours," Admiral Turner nodded, smiling at the memory of the Baselard's former pilots, before pausing and when he spoke again his expression was grim. "My Garms have just reported in… they found no survivors. The Baselard will proceed with towing operations and assist the Lionheart back to base. There's nothing left for us here, captain."

Milos nodded and when the admiral signed off, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. The memory of the Gladius and the Tachi's demise replayed in his mind with perfect detail and when he opened his eyes again, he was no less disturbed. The captain had a feeling that the war had just gotten a whole lot worse.

.

* * *

.

When Vega came to, she found the Fenrir was being carried away by a burnt, one-armed, but still-functioning Warg and its disapproving pilot.

"I seem to be carrying you back to the Blue Crow quite often lately, major," Ursula protested, though she could not hide the tinge of relief in her voice. "I hope you're not planning of making a habit of this."

"Oh, Ursula, my knight in shining armour," Vega chuckled, and combed back her mess of floating silver hair. "Right now, I wouldn't mind if you carried me to the altar."

While her cute subordinate blushed and stammered furiously, disturbing their otherwise calm flight with inadvertent tugs of her flight stick, the masked pilot recalled her most recent escape. After miraculously dodging the beam cannon aimed at the Fenrir with the very last of its power, she had drifted out into space until Ursula had picked her up. Now, they were racing back to the Blue Crow, the Commodore having ordered a retreat at the detection of RDF reinforcements.

"What about me, major? Don't I count as a knight too?"

"Luke?" Vega exclaimed, hearing his voice on the comm. "You're alive?"

"Barely! I ejected in time, only to be thrown by the explosion," the lucky lieutenant explained. "Captain Roland caught my distress signal, but she wouldn't let me in her cockpit! I'm out here in the cold, riding on the Warg's head!"

"I told you, there's no room for two people! What if we have to sortie again?" Ursula argued with exasperation. "Just hang on, we're almost there."

"I'm truly glad you're both alright," Vega whispered, before pausing. "What of Tanaka and Jose?"

"They didn't make it," Luke informed her, and the lieutenant went quiet.

"Two war cruisers and more than half the Space Wolves lost… it was a massacre," Ursula growled, the captain consumed by a mixture of anger and grief.

"Indeed, today's battle was a fierce one. We lost as many as we avenged…" Vega began, her voice solemn, until the corners of her red lips lifted into a subtle smile. "But, in the end, we have gained so much more. Know that their sacrifice will not be in vain – not so long as we survive."

"Yes… you were right, major. The Fenrir is the same as the Orthrus Gundam," Ursula wanted to share in her commander's excitement, but her emotions were tempered by the loss of their comrades. "That counts as two relic discoveries – I'm sure command will be pleased, despite the cost to us."

"Where is the relic, major?" Luke queried, to which his superior grinned.

"I'm afraid the gravity relic suffered an… unfortunate accident. But rest assured, the Fenrir downloaded all its data beforehand."

"Good enough," Commodore Sparrhorn interrupted and ignored the aghast faces of Luke and Ursula. "Just make sure you stick to that story on your report. Command already has it out for you; don't make it worse, major."

"I wouldn't dream of it, commodore," Vega complied, but just by the sound of her voice Jonas knew her expression was far from compliant.

"The Blue Crow's engines are primed and ready," he notified them. "Hurry back so we can escape this accursed colony."

The relic hunt may have been a disaster in their eyes, but to Vega it had been a boon – when command saw the power of the relics the Scarlet Wolf had brought them, she had no doubt they would capitulate to House Aurelia and her every demand, elevating her standing within LIRA and the empire to even greater heights. First, she would require a supply of Gundanium for the Fenrir, repairs and upgrades for the Blue Crow, and then there was the matter of rebuilding the ranks and equipment of the Space Wolves. There was so much to do, and the masked pilot hadn't even gotten to exploring the Fenrir's new powers – just imagining what other abilities more relics would unlock had the noblewoman quivering with excitement.

"You did well today, Fenrir…" she crooned, rubbing the arm of her chair.

When they next met with the White Hellhound, they would be more than ready. As the Blue Crow came into view, Vega smiled in anticipation and whispered under her breath.

"I cannot wait, Hellhound."

.

**END OF EPISODE FIVE**

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* * *

Next Episode Preview

MILOS: _While the Lionheart is docked at Colony Zero, crew will be permitted shore leave for some well-deserved relaxation. However, leave can be rescinded on grounds of misconduct… and if I catch you with my daughter or her friends, I will personally put you into the ground. So don't even think about it._

_Next time, on Gundam Gemini:_

_Colony Blues._

_I can stop being a captain, but I can't stop being a father._

* * *

.

This was a tough episode, orchestrating the battles and figuring out the gravity powers and such (for those wondering, yes, Gravity Rush is one of my favourite games!), but thanks to LW for doing a great job prereading and helping me achieve this level of quality!

So my pseudo-beta LW heard the outline to Episode Four and demanded I write it... and I caved in. So we'll be going back one episode before continuing with Episode Six and, hopefully, if things stay to plan both will be short episodes. Hope you enjoyed this episode and see you next time!

UPDATE: Episode Four is up, on to Episode Six!


	10. Episode 06 - Colony Blues - Part A

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam.

Many thanks again to LW for prereading! You're the best!

* * *

Gundam Gemini

Episode Six

Colony Blues

Part A

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When the Lion Ark landed on its final resting place, on the planet that would become known as Rem, over two centuries would pass before its descendants returned to the stars. Amidst the turmoil of resettling the refugees on their new home, much technology and knowledge from the old world were lost in the chaos and, after the formation of the Rem Republic, research and development had to begin almost from scratch. Much of the nation's early spacefaring technology were gleaned from the remains of the ark, which had been dismantled to construct the Rem capital of New Lyon, but, curiously, records which would have allowed them to trace their steps back to Lemuria had been deleted and in time it would become known as the lost planet.

In 253AC, after many successful space flights and the reaching of Rem's moon, the nation's space program focused on exploration. Almost immediately, their explorers found the Gate.

"Captain, approaching the Rem Gate."

One of the Lionheart's operators informed the bridge and the main monitor showed a giant metal construct in the shape of a ring. Composed of Gundanium alloy and almost a kilometre in diameter, the ancient Gates were relics left behind by the Lemurians that allowed instantaneous travel between the systems. The Rem, Lux, and Zodiac systems all contained at least one Gate which led to their other halves in the Lemurian system and it was unanimously agreed the arks had used them to reach their destinations, with the possible exception of the missing Phoenix Ark.

However, due to the loss of records, it was several decades before Rem uncovered the method of activating their Gate and subsequently their rediscovery of Lemuria.

"The Baselard is initiating technopathic contact," the operator reported again and, as it had since the halo colony, the battleship towed the Lionheart to the front of the Gate. Like other relics the Gates gave off a technopathic frequency; in fact, they were the foundation for the invention of relic detection instruments and could only be activated by a technopath using a specific key and code unique to each Gate. This prevented LIRA from using Rem Gates and vice versa and other security measures included remote sensors and automated turrets attached to the Gate as well as the RDF's Second Fleet standing guard around its ring.

The Gundanium in the Gate began to glow like a chain of amethyst and the light spread across its hollow until it darkened into an onyx mirror. The surface was perfectly smooth and showed not their reflection, but the space on the other side of the Gate in the Rem system. The Baselard hauled the Lionheart forward again and they entered the Gate together, receiving well-wishes from the Second Fleet as they left the Lemurian system.

Passing through a Gate might evoke images of a tunnel or rollercoaster with the traveller feeling the pull of different forces, temperature changes, a shock or watery sensation, or a delayed passage of time, but the truth was they felt nothing at all. To an observer, it merely looked as if the ships disappeared into nothing before appearing out of nothing through the two rings and they arrived in the Rem system at the same speed they entered. Once they were safely through the Gate, it closed behind them and the onyx mirror faded away along with the relic's amethyst glow, leaving them with the awe-inspiring view of their destination – Colony Zero.

Initially built to house the explorers and researchers coming to unearth the secrets of the Gate over half a century ago, it had grown from its simple beginnings to become a full-fledged space colony and economic hub. Its key status as a way point in the Lemurian Conflict had particularly contributed to its development as RDF warships and ZUN traders stopped by its port and created jobs, industries, and services for its flourishing population of over a hundred thousand. Structurally, it consisted of a gigantic white cylinder twenty kilometres long and six in diameter which spun with its window end toward the Rem sun, while long solar panel wings and a stationary hive-like space port were fixed to the other end.

The Baselard towed the Lionheart into one of the hive port holes reserved for the RDF and they emerged into a spacious shipyard, perfect for the repairs the battlecruiser would require. As they finally came to a halt, Milos drew a long breath of relief before taking up his comm and announced what the crew had been long anticipating after months in space.

"The Lionheart has docked at Colony Zero. All crew with approved shore leave may disembark…"

.

* * *

.

"Come on, Laura, let's go!"

"It's still morning on Colony Zero, but we should try and make the most of it."

"You bet! I made sure to get my beauty sleep for this!"

Junko, Alice and Freya yelled at Laura from the other side of the door to their shared quarters and the technopath hastened to get ready. The room was already a mess thanks to her roommates, who had left clothes and underwear just floating about, and Laura growled as she tried to find her nice clothes. As to why she was in such a rush, the blonde had received an unexpected phone call just moments ago…

_ "Laura Hartmann! How nice to hear your lovely voice."_

"_P-President Winters?" Laura exclaimed, recognising that fake motherly tone anywhere. When the operator said she had a phone call, she never expected this._

"_Please, call me, Carol. I trust you've been well? I've been hearing great things about the mission – about your exploits!" the president went on, praising the girl with gusto. "Every time you give those LIRA bastards hell, I just know my re-election chances go up. I mean, your chances. Your chances of ending the war. Silly me, slip of the tongue, ahaha…"_

"_Right…" Laura laughed nervously, but the political skills of Rem's commander-in-chief were as smooth as a cactus. "Well, thank you, Madam President, but you didn't have to call…"_

"_Nonsense! I can always spare time for our ace pilot," said President Winters, rolling on like a runaway steam train. "It's a shame the public can't know what you're doing out there, but I swear to you, Laura, once your relic hunting mission is over every man, woman and child on Rem will know your name."_

_ The blonde groaned in agony, not that the woman on the other end of the phone heard her._

_ "T-That sounds wonderful, but… maybe we can discuss this when I come back?" she managed to get out, in between deep breaths. "Well, if that's all, Madame President…"_

_ "Ah, straight to the point, just like your father. I like it," President Winters approved, before clearing her throat. "Yes, the reason I called is I happen to have a teensy little problem only you can solve, dear Laura."_

_ "Me?"_

_ "Yes, you. I said you, didn't I?" the president snapped, her mask slipping before she reattached it. "There's a job I need done on Colony Zero and the person I had pegged for it fell through. I was cheesed, of course, but then I thought, 'Wait a second… my good friend Laura will be on Colony Zero at the exact same time and she would be perfect for the role!'"_

_ "Role?"_

_ "Job. I said job, you're not listening, Laura."_

_ "Okay, what kind of job?"_

_ "Oh, now that I can't tell you. It's of the upmost importance, vital to national security and all that crap – I know you'll understand when you get there, Laura!" President Winters began to press the girl with all her diplomatic experience. "Please, Laura, it will only take an hour of your time! No, half an hour!"_

_ "A-Alright, I'll do it," Laura relented and bit her lip, knowing she would regret this._

_ "Excellent! I knew I could count on you, Laura! Just go to the address I tell you any time in the afternoon and if they make you wait just throw my name out, it usually gets things done – oh! And don't tell your father!"_

Of course, when Laura hung up the phone, she told Milos immediately.

"I guess there's no harm in seeing what this job is… and you can always refuse," he had frowned, none too pleased. "Just try not to get roped into her political games…"

"Easier said than done…" Laura muttered, slipping on her jacket and going out the door. "Okay, let's go!"

Like herself, the other orphans were dressed up for a day out on the town and the maintenance unit couldn't help but steal looks as they floated past.

Junko kept it comfortable with sneakers, green cargo pants with a plethora of pockets, and a belt bag wrapped around her favourite yellow hoodie. Alice looked elegant in a sky-blue one-piece dress with short sleeves and wrapped a white belt around her thin waist that matched her heeled sandals. Freya showed off her chic style wearing a dusty pink long-sleeved blouse, a pleated grey miniskirt, black leggings, and finished the outfit off with pink ankle boots, choker, and handbag. As for Laura, she stuck to her familiar white bomber jacket, purple t-shirt and a pair of dark jeans tucked into her beloved white boots.

They waved to the maintenance unit who waved back, mesmerised, until Superintendent Moses barked at them to get back to work. Laughing, the girls turned the corner only to run into their worst nightmare.

"C-Commander Gabriel!" they cried, saluting on the spot, before their mouths dropped open. Sofia had exchanged her smart RDF uniform for a stunning dark blue dress and black cardigan and had done her hair up. The XO still had the eyes of a demon though.

"Hot date?" Freya blurted without thinking and cupped her mouth.

"No," Sofia glared. "Just meeting up with some old girlfriends later."

"You look beautiful, commander!" Junko jumped in.

"Fabulous!" Laura added.

"Tres a la mode," Alice nodded.

"Flattery's not getting you anywhere, so spare me," Sofia shut them down without blinking and focused her ruby gaze on their outfits. "You four look all geared-up for the day – just stay out of trouble. If I hear about even one rude whisper involving our crew, there will be consequences…"

"Y-Yes, ma'am! Understood, ma'am!"

"Good. Now get out of here."

The orphans lowered their salutes and filed down the corridor in a perfect line. As they floated past Milos, who had been watching with a rueful smile on his lips, the captain sincerely believed he would receive the same level of respect as Sofia.

"Hey, Milos!"

"Morning, Milos!"

"Catch you later, Milos!"

"Good day, Milos."

While the girls disappeared around the next corner without giving him a second look, Milos remained frozen in place, having taken what felt like four jabs to the gut.

"…What am I, chopped liver?"

Ignorant to the midlife crisis they had just set off, the orphans arrived at the plug door on the Lionheart's side in time to see it open, along with the other crew members on shore leave in their civilian clothes. Funnelling through in an orderly but excited swarm, they followed the attached passenger tunnel to a fleet of gondola-like carriages, and, securing their own, the girls were whisked to the centre of the space port through a web of connected shafts. From there, the passengers were threaded through a long and dark shaft with only the lamps on the train of gondolas for radiance, until they saw a blinding light at the end of the tunnel.

When they emerged a vista of extraordinary proportions overwhelmed the visitors, causing them to gasp and press against the gondola windows so they could take in the full majesty stretching out before their eyes – the inside of Colony Zero. Its curved surfaces were covered all the way around by white towers and regular patches of greenery, above and below, as if an entire city had been ripped from the earth, wrapped up and stitched together to form an enclosed world. The exceptions were the round ends of spinning cylinder; the one in the far distance was a giant window which allowed light to shine in on the colony from the Rem sun; the other was coated in mirrors and solar panels, except for the hole in its centre from which the gondolas had emerged, connecting the colony to the space port.

"What a view!" exclaimed Junko, whipping out her PDA and taking pictures as the gondola descended.

"Quick, group photo!" said Freya, and they huddled together and took a selfie with the colony in background, before changing up their poses and taking several more. By the time they had reached the bottom the orphans were even more pumped for the day ahead. When the doors opened, they leapt out of the gondola together and landed under the effect of simulated gravity as one.

From there, it was one memory after another as the quartet saw everything Colony Zero had to offer.

First, they hung out on the outskirts of the urban areas, exercising their bodies in the colony's pristine parks after months in zero-G with other spacefarers and families. They took photos in front of sculptures and fountains, horsed around on a playground like they were kids again, were dragged into ball games with the local children, and sometimes just lay on the soft grass under a tree and soaked up the sun. They even found time to row a boat on a lake, which somehow turned into a competition and they played rock-paper-scissor to decide the teams – Laura and Alice won, of course, beating Freya and Junko by a hair.

Next, they took an electric monorail to the city and marvelled at the inverted world above through its transparent roof on the way. When they arrived, the colony's main hub bustled with people going about their business between the high-rise buildings and the familiar scene reminded the girls even more of Rem. But instead of dealing with the crowds, they stopped off at Colony Zero's famed mall and indulged themselves with a movie.

Since they all had different tastes, the orphans compromised by watching a murder mystery – which also happened to be Tully's favourite genre when she was alive. Unfortunately, they misread the poster and it turned out to be a horror movie, Freya's least favourite category. The Pale Diva shivered out of the theatre, while Alice giggled to herself – apparently, the Disappointing Angel found horror movies hilarious.

Afterwards, they toured the mall and shopped according to their interests. Junko geeked out at the model shop, buying a stack of boxes to send home to her siblings and the orphanage; Alice combed a specialist bookstore for thin books, but had to be dragged away after becoming overly engrossed in one; Freya window-shopped every boutique and encouraged her friends to try different outfits with her, sparking a string of selfies; and Laura showed off at the arcade before replenishing her energy at the food court, where the technopath picked everything on the menu and shovelled it all into the black hole that was her stomach.

"Okay, time for dessert!" the blonde announced, licking her fingers clean of tomato sauce, while the others sat around her and gawked.

"Don't you ever worry about calories?" Freya asked, and her celery stick fell from her fork in shock. "Or worry if you'll still fit in your jeans tomorrow?"

"Let me think… nope. I never gain weight from eating."

"Traitor!" the diva shook her fist and cried. "…Okay, I'm going to the little girl's room."

"Want me to come with you?" Alice asked, only to be promptly rejected.

"No! I mean, no… it's okay. I'll be right back…."

As Freya walked away, Junko and Laura looked at each other and murmured with agreement.

"Suspicious…"

Tailing the Pink Diva, they found her at an internet café with private rooms, in front of a computer and recording a video message to send to her parents.

"Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad! It's your most favourite, talented and super-cute daughter, Freya!" she began by flipping her pink twin-tails with a smirk, and the girls rolled their eyes from their hiding place behind the crack in the door.

Other than that, the video message was fairly normal. Freya assured her adoptive parents she and her friends were okay and, without revealing details, said their mission was going well. She asked about their jobs at the library and how the matron and orphans were doing at Libra Orphanage, admitting she missed home. Towards the end she gave them an account of their day so far on Colony Zero and finished by telling them not to worry.

"I _am_ one of the best pilots in the RDF, you know," she gestured to herself and boasted. "Laura might be a _tiny_ bit better, but I'm far and away the brains behind the team – she'd be so lost without me! Even in space, I'm reliable and popular."

"Freya…!" Laura grinded her teeth and resisted the urge to run in and smack the diva over her pink head.

"Seriously, Laura's such a handful… I'm always watching her, so I know how hard she's been pushing herself, especially after what happened to Tully. She seems to be feeling better lately though – that glutton just ate three jumbo burgers in a row, which is a good sign. She may be my number one rival, but I know she has my back out there and I… I wouldn't want to fly with anyone else," Freya admitted, and the more she spoke the brighter her cheeks blushed. "The same goes for Alice and Junko; the only reason we're still out here is because we trust each other with our lives. They're the best friends I could ever ask for… D-don't you dare tell them that though!"

However, those best friends had heard everything and were so incredibly moved, their eyes watered with adoration.

"Freya_… Freeeya!_" Unable to hold back any longer, Laura burst through the door and hugged the shocked diva from behind.

"L-Laura?! Girls?!" Freya shouted, trying to maintain her balance, and her eyes bulged with blue mortification as she was assailed from all sides.

"Hi, Mr and Mrs Valstein!" Junko squeezed in next to Freya and waved at the camera.

"Greetings from Colony Zero," said Alice, who sandwiched her from the other side and raised a peace sign.

"Don't worry, Mr and Mrs Valstein, we'll take good care of Freya for you!" Laura cuddled Freya around the neck and put her head on top of hers, like a grinning blonde and pink totem pole. "She can be a major pain, but we all love her the way she is."

"W-W-W-What?!" the blushing diva stopped and stuttered but was rendered speechless.

"Like how she acts brave but can't stand ghosts," Junko pointed out.

"Or how she gets lonely easily, like a rabbit," Alice giggled.

"Or how she pretends to be ladylike, only to swear her head off when things don't go her way."

Laura supplied the final indignity and Freya boiled like a red-hot kettle while her friends laughed.

"Shut up! Shut up, all of you! This message is over!" she finally blew up and cast her literal hangers-on to the ground, before slapping her palm on the stop button. "…Huh?"

"What's wrong?" Junko asked, as she and the others picked themselves up from the floor.

Slowly, Freya turned to them and revealed her ashen face.

"…I hit send."

.

* * *

.

"I can't believe you three!"

Freya pouted and licked her raspberry ice cream. To placate the raging diva, they had paid for dessert and were sitting around a fountain in the city square eating ice cream, along with many other tourists. With a dozen abstract sculptures spewing streams of cooling water under the sunlight, the large fountain was one of Colony Zero's main attractions and the buildings on the other side of the colony were famously reflected in its pool.

"We said sorry, okay?" said Laura, biting a chunk out of her choc chip cone. "We were just curious where you were going."

"Yeah – plus it made for a great video for your parents in the end!" Junko grinned with chocolate stained lips, and a motherly Alice dabbed her mouth with a tissue.

"Great? It was a disaster!" Freya paused from licking her ice cream and snapped, before pressing a pretentious palm to her chest. "Not that you would understand, but my parents expect a certain level of perfection."

"Your parents are librarians!" Junko shot back. "They spoil you rotten!"

"They're information scientists and I'm worth it!"

"Now, now," Alice cut in, brandishing her cone of green tea. "The Valsteins adore you, Freya – they don't care whether you're perfect or not. Even after all this time, you're so insecure…"

"W-Who's insecure? E-Even if I am, a walking barbie doll like you would never understand, Alice!" Freya jabbed her finger and charged the bemused angel. "You don't even put in any effort, yet people fawn over you!"

"Why, thank you."

"It wasn't a compliment!" Exasperated, the diva took a deep breath. "…Anyway, don't you have your own messages to send home? It's not fair I'm the only one who gets embarrassed!"

"I'm going to send one with Milos later tonight, when Clara's hospital shift is over," said Laura, speaking of her adoptive mother. "You're welcome to join in – Clara really likes you."

"R-Really? I mean, of course she does!" Freya corrected herself and smirked, pleased, before frowning. "She must get lonely with you and Milos on deployment…"

"Yeah, she tries her best to hide it, but I think she must be. Luckily, her work as a nurse keeps her busy and she's part of a support group for military wives," Laura nodded, recalling the days when Clara and her only had each other for company while Milos was gone for months. "She also volunteers at Libra Orphanage and looks after the children, so that helps. What about you, Junko?"

"I might send one every now and again, but it's not the same as speaking face to face," said the mechanic, as she fiddled with her PDA one-handed. "So instead we send each other a steady stream of messages and photos!"

She showed off the screen and they saw a torrent of messages come in, commenting on Junko's selfie at the fountain when her chocolate ice cream was still whole.

"It must be nice to have so many siblings…" Alice whispered, envious, and smiled when the PDA received a photo of a chef, waitress, and four dark-haired children in the kitchen of a restaurant. "So cute…"

"Right?" Junko grinned, proud. "Plus, I send home tons of models… Most are mine though; I'm saving them for when I get back."

"How many is that now? Your room must be one giant display case," Freya raised an eyebrow, only for Junko to swell with pride at the image. "Alice? Do you stay in touch with your parents?"

"Hardly," Alice replied, like it was no loss. "I message them when I'll be home, but they're never there anyway."

"I thought so…" Laura winced, knowing that out of all the adoptive parents, they had only met the Carols maybe once or twice. "Are they still travelling?"

"They're always on tour and travel everywhere for fashion shows," Alice informed them, showing no hint of emotion. "Sometimes I wonder why a famous pair of fashion designers decided to adopt at all."

"I'm sure they care about you… aren't they always sending you gifts and souvenirs?" Freya pouted, and recalled the presents with envy. "And every year they remember your birthday and send you gorgeous dresses."

"Yeah! And they give you so much freedom – they didn't so much as fuss when you wanted to enrol in the military academy with us," Junko added, before pausing and running her mouth. "Unless that means they don't care about you at all…?"

"Junko!" Laura scolded her, but Alice appeared unfazed by the comment.

"It's fine, Laura. I'm lucky to have been adopted at all," she rationalised, and changed the topic. "Maybe we should make a video for the orphanage together? I'm sure the matron and the children would love it."

"That's a great idea, Alice," Laura nodded along with the others, until the clock on a fountain sculpture caught her eye. "Shoot, I need to go!"

"President Winter's special mission?" Freya guessed right, and her cheeks swelled like red balloons. "Well, aren't you lucky!"

"Do you want us to come with you?" Alice asked, cocking her head with concern.

"No, it's fine – it's probably not as important as it sounds," Laura chomped down on the rest of her waffle cone and stood up. "I'll meet up with you girls later for dinner, okay? Don't start without me!"

"We'll do karaoke afterwards!" Junko's eyes lit up with excitement and she raised her fist, before putting it back down. "But first I need to post all these presents…"

While the others looked for a space post office, Laura followed the map on her PDA in the opposite direction. Fortunately, whatever President Winter's special job was, it was within walking distance and the blonde admired the city as she went. Soon, she arrived at a lofty office building with mirror-blue windows and examined its business directory.

"Andromeda Productions…?" the pilot blinked, double-checking her PDA and confirming it was the right place.

On the elevator ride up, Laura fiddled with her necklace and prayed she hadn't been hoodwinked into some weird job by the president. When the elevator doors opened, she hopped out to find a classy wood and glass waiting area with framed photos of different subject matters covering its walls. A white desk out front had the words 'Andromeda Productions' imprinted on its front in giant crimson lettering and behind it stood a redheaded receptionist.

"Um, hello, I'm Laura Hart–"

"Laura Hartmann!" the receptionist bellowed, giving the blonde a fright, and rushed out from behind the desk. "We've been waiting for you, Miss Hartmann – right this way!"

"W-Wait! What's going on?!"

The woman grabbed Laura by the arm and half-dragged her down the hall with surprising strength until they reached a spacious white room. The curtains by the window had been closed and it was dimly lit, but light stands, reflectors and umbrellas stood around a white background which glowed in the centre of the room. It was obviously a photography studio and Laura's heart drummed with alarm.

"Andre, she's here!" the woman announced, finally releasing Laura. "I present to you, Laura Hartmann!"

Standing in front of a table where he was laying out his camera and lenses, a tall and lanky man in white coat dramatically spun around to reveal a black goatee and a broad expressive mouth.

"Laura Hartmann!" the man exclaimed, and his dark eyes twinkled as he looked the nervous girl up and down, while stroking his goatee. "_Magnifique!_ Caroline was right – you are the model of my dreams, _mademoiselle!_"

"M-Model?" Laura blurted, before she was dragged to a stool in front of the white background where the lights blinded her eyes. "I'm just filling in for someone!"

"Oh no, I'm quite sure this session was booked specifically for you and only you, Miss Hartmann," the assistant laughed her off, while Andre whipped out a large camera and put the pilot in its sights.

"Smile, Laura!"

Out of instinct, Laura gave a peace sign, until the flash knocked the woman back to her senses.

"Stop, stop!" she screamed, and the photographer and his assistant finally froze. "I haven't agreed to anything yet! I don't even know what's going on!"

"Oh… oh pardon, madam. Where are my manners?" the man apologised and reined in his feverish excitement. "I am Andre Dupont, photographer extraordinaire and president of Andromeda Productions, and this is my lovely assistant, Christina."

"Andre is the premier artist of the photography world!" Christina jumped in and gushed. "From fashion to journalism to weddings, there is nothing Andre cannot capture!"

"Haha! Oh, Christina, you flatter me… but it is true! I have clients all over the known universe!" Andre spread his arms out theatrically, only to draw them back in when he saw Laura's impatient purple glare. "…Ahem. Caroline – that is, President Winters – commissioned me to take pictures of you in our studio, months in advance. Did she not tell you this, Miss Hartmann…?"

"Pictures? What for?" Laura demanded.

"I believe they are for the upcoming election campaign…"

"Winters…!" the blonde made a fist of fury and shook it under her breath. "Well, I'm sorry, but there's no way I'm letting my image be used as political propaganda – no way in hell. This photo shoot is over!"

"Come, come, Miss Hartmann! _Mademoiselle!_ Laura!" Andre entreated the young woman and put his hands on her shoulders to stop her from getting up. "You are a mobile suit pilot, yes? A pretty good one, no?"

"…One of the best," Laura answered, and let the man continue speaking.

"Well, I have taken photos of many brave RDF pilots when they stop here on Colony Zero, before they ship out to Lemuria. Sadly, many do not return…" Andre gestured around the room and Laura finally noticed the portraits and group photos of her predecessors hanging up on the walls. "Laura, I am sure you are a formidable pilot – a _superbe pilote_ – and I admire you for putting your life on the line out there. But should the worst come to pass, do you not wish to leave something behind? A token of your existence, if not for yourself, then for your loved ones?"

The photographer's words gave Laura pause and she hated to admit it, but he was right. She had always regretted not taking more pictures with Tully while she was alive and the fact they were both camera-shy had not helped. However, that still left the pressing issue of President Winters.

"Miss Hartmann, I don't think you need to worry about President Winters," Christina saw the hesitation on Laura's face and interjected. "If this really is for the election, we'll just withhold your photos and negotiate for another model – Andre will convince her!"

"Really? You can do that?"

"Of course! Excellent thinking, Christina!" Andre thumped his palm and wriggled his eyes at his assistant, causing her to blush. "The photographer has the rights to the photos and Caroline cannot resist my silver tongue – what do you say, Laura?"

"Well… okay," the technopath relented and the pair erupted with cheers. "But I want copies for my family! And another session where I can bring my friends!"

"Oomph, you drive a hard bargain, _mademoiselle…_ but what the hell! Christina, put it on Caroline's bill!"

"Yes, Andre!"

With the pact made, the photo session restarted in earnest and Andre clicked his camera with abandon. Apparently, Laura was fine as she was for the first shoot, her casual clothes being 'clean but feisty' as the artiste described them. Having picked up a few modelling tips from Alice, who had modelled for her parent's shows on occasion, Laura soon got comfortable being the in the spotlight and actually started to have some fun.

"_C'est magnifique_, Laura! You are a natural!" Andre praised the woman's poses and the camera shutter released with a whirl. "Now, I think we are ready for the next shoot. Christina!"

"Yes, Andre!"

The redhead whisked Laura from the studio to an adjacent changing room with an array of outfits and costumes, including a replica RDF officer's uniform and flight suit for her to wear. As a gleeful Christina helped the pilot change and apply some light makeup, Laura heard sounds back in the studio, breaking her scandalized examination of a racy swimsuit. Peeking their heads out, they saw Andre working his magic on another model – a flamboyant man with spiky orange hair in a blue RDF uniform.

"Oh my god… it's Raymond Mercury!" Christina declared with a hushed whisper.

"Raymond who?" Laura whispered back, and realised the name sounded familiar.

"Raymond Mercury! The RDF's ace pilot!"

"Ace pilot, huh?" the technopath grumbled and scowled at the man, like being the ace was some kind of competition. "Wait, now I remember… this guy was famous until he dropped off the face of the earth a few years ago. I thought he'd died or something…"

"Well, now he's back! Andre took his photos all the time before and he remembered us now that's he active again!" Christina ogled the celebrity and sighed. "Isn't he gorgeous?"

Laura screwed up her face and resisted the urge to gag. She supposed the tall and orange-haired man striking outrageous poses as he serenaded the camera was on the attractive side and recalled all the girls at school being charmed by his smiling face on those ridiculous recruitment posters years ago, but as he did then the RDF's returning star poster boy was giving her flyboy vibes. After managing to retain her lunch, the Gundam pilot wondered which ship he was on and prayed they wouldn't have to work together.

"Yes, yes, yes! Raymond, you handsome devil, you still have it even after all these years!" Andre's voice reached a feverish crescendo again and his flashing camera followed suit, much more than when he was photographing Laura. "_Mon dieu!_ You must still have to beat the women off with a stick!"

"What can I say, Andre? No one can resist the Ray-Man – not in the flesh!" Raymond boasted, saying his old nickname with a remarkably straight face, and shot the camera a confident wink. "And sometimes they want the stick!"

While the men guffawed with raucous laughter, the women crept up on them unnoticed. Laura, now wearing a white replica RDF uniform with the rank of ensign, noticed the Ray-Man wore his real blue RDF uniform and was a mere warrant officer class one. Realising she outranked him, the pilot allowed herself a petty smirk.

"Ah, girls!" Andre finally noticed them and stopped chuckling. "Let me introduce you – this is the famous Raymond Mercury!"

"Oh, Mr Mercury, I'm a huge fan!" Christina clasped her hands together and waffled, before pulling an old photo of Raymond out of nowhere. "Do you think I could get an autograph?"

"Of course, you can! And please… call me Ray," the star smiled and pulled a thick marker pen out of his pocket for such occasions. "Christina, was it? I remember you from last time... I can never forget a pretty face."

"Oh, Ray!"

Christina looked like she would swoon, but pranced around the studio instead, kissing her newly sighed photo of Raymond Mercury. Honestly, Laura wanted to hurl, only to find the Ray-Man's attentions were now focused on her and his blue eyes twinkled.

"Oh, and who is this lovely creature? Our female pilot of the day?" Raymond crooned, combing his orange hair back and flashing his pearly white teeth, before making a mock salute. "Permission to get to know you better, ensign? Over dinner, perhaps?"

Laura rolled her eyes. Obviously, he thought she was a model in uniform and not the real thing. Well, this flyboy was about to get a rude awakening.

"Oh, Mr Mercury…" she sung with affection, making doe eyes at the confident Casanova, before giving him a dose of reality. "How about you take that dinner and shove it up your ass?"

Laura took great pleasure in seeing the Ray-Man's smile, once permanently plastered to his face, go unhinged as his jaw went slack and the idol paled with shock.

"Haha! She's something, isn't she?" Andre slapped his knee and laughed, before informing his friend of their error. "Raymond, this is one of your fellow pilots, not a model! Her name is Laura Hartmann."

Upon hearing her name, Raymond suddenly had a coughing fit, which Laura assumed came from the realisation she outranked him. But as the fit continued, the technopath noticed something familiar about the sounds he was making, like a noise in the back of her mind. She narrowed her eyes in thought, before Laura's lips gasped and her purple orbs went wide with fury.

"The jerk in the blue Garm!"

.

* * *

.

On Colony Zero, there was a famous bar frequented by the stationed and visiting RDF crews known as the Sailors' Rest. Good food, a welcoming atmosphere and a unique interior design, which replicated a wooden ship of the seas with all the trimmings, made it popular among officers and enlisted alike – not to mention its dance floor made it a known venue to meet women. But amidst the packed diners, dancers and music, a certain captain was alone at the bar, drinking his sorrows away as it were.

"Got room for one more, captain?"

Milos looked up from his glass and found the shadow of a giant standing over him.

"Johnny…" he said, managing a weak smile and nodding. "Sit down… I could use the company."

Chief Petty Officer Jonathan Moses, or Johnny as he was known to his close friends, took a seat next to the captain and the bartender slid him a beer. The two had known each since before the war, when Milos was still an enlisted man, and when the captain had handpicked the Lionheart's crew the mobile suit maintainer was one of the first on his list. Not only was Johnny one of the best and toughest mechanics he knew – the kind of man you'd want to have your back in a fight – but he was also a great listener.

"So, what's got you so down, Milos?" Johnny asked, and wrapped his big hands around his glass like it was a teacup and took a sip.

"Johnny… do you think we're getting old?"

"What are you talking about? We're still plenty young."

"Look at us, Johnny. We used to be the life of the party in this place – we'd either drink until dawn or be swarmed by women, in which case we'd dance until dawn," Milos prattled, and a quick glance at the bartender told Johnny his old crewmate hadn't even finished his first drink yet. "But I've been sitting here for a whole goddamn hour and no one's even talked to me – not even so much as a salute and an 'Evening, captain.'"

"Oh boy… uh, yeah. That's rough, man," the larger man promptly agreed, and took another sip of his beer.

"And my daughter and her friends don't give me the respect I deserve as their commanding officer…" Milos went on, keeping his downcast eyes on his glass. "When they were kids, they used to salute me and call me captain… Now, I might as well be invisible."

"Okay, now I'm getting a sense of the problem at hand…" Johnny nodded with understanding.

"They used to be cute..."

"Well, kids grow up… also, that's what you get for putting family in with the crew. You're too soft, Milos."

"Hey, I don't want to hear that from you," the captain rounded on the other man. "I've you seen you with the girls – you're a big softie around them! They don't even get half the flak you give the other crew!"

"Okay, okay! Keep it down…" Johnny shifted nervously in his seat. "There's just something special about that daughter of yours and her friends – they're fearless. I think Commander Gabriel sees that… It's how she knows the right level of fear to instil and earn their respect."

"Gabriel!" Milos growled. "I tapped her to be the Lionheart's XO and this is how she repays me?"

"Hey, you've got it way better than me, you know?" Johnny, realising he probably just poured fuel on the fire, quickly interjected. "At least you're on speaking terms with Laura. My daughter doesn't even talk to me anymore – all I get are one-worded text messages and emojis."

"Really?" the captain raised an eyebrow and grimaced when his friend nodded. "You're right… I do have it better than you."

They both took a long swig of their beers and paused while the bartender gave them a refill.

"So, was that it?" Johnny asked, taking his drink in hand. "I thought you were having second thoughts about the mission."

"What, because of Laura? I'm always having second thoughts – I can't help it," Milos replied, and the memory of the most recent battle at the halo colony caused the father to sigh. "But that girl always proves me wrong."

"You know, when you called to convince me to join you on this little relic hunting expedition, you never mentioned we'd be chased across the Lemurian system by one of LIRA's latest stealth ships," Johnny reminded him with the tiniest hint of sarcasm in his tone. "'The Lionheart will be the safest place in the galaxy', 'LIRA won't even know we're there'… who the hell said that?"

"You forgot to mention the Lunar Fox was in command of that stealth ship…" Milos added and avoided the question by downing his beer in one gulp.

"Whoa there, captain," a third voice joined them. "Go easy on the sauce – if I recall right, you had to spend time in the brig because of an incident in this very bar."

Milos and Johnny twisted their heads around towards the speaker and Admiral Turner was there behind them. The old man, tall and well-built for his age with broad shoulders, still looked quite suave in full uniform. The opposite sex obviously liked it, because he also had his arms around two beautiful women who were all over the rear admiral's white beard.

"Excuse me, ladies, I need to speak to these fine gentlemen first. RDF business, you know," Turner parted from his fair company and sat down next to the men, who had been rendered speechless. "What's the matter, men? Not even a salute for your old CO Turner? What am I, chopped liver now?"

"N-No, sir! Evening, sir!" Milos saluted at once, only to realise the question had been in jest when the admiral chuckled.

"Congratulations on your promotion, rear admiral," said Johnny, who ordered a drink for his old CO.

"Oh, this?" Turner gestured to the new gold stripe on his shoulder and waved it away. "I was the only one who wanted the job – but someone had to take charge of what's left of the First Fleet."

"Well, as far as we're concerned, there's no one better for the post," said Milos, having relaxed a little. "After what they've been through, they need some leadership they can trust."

"Ha! Listen to you, Hartmann, talking like an officer," Turner laughed. "I still remember when you and Moses first came aboard the Baselard – you were wet behind the ears! Time really flies, doesn't it?"

The men laughed and sipped their beers, and if one inspected the many group photos of RDF crews above the bar, they would have discovered a faded picture with younger versions of all three men.

"But enough about the past, let's talk shop," the admiral switched gears and leaned in. "Rumour from the top has it that the president is making a deal with the Zodiac Union so the Lionheart can snatch the rest of the relics on the star map. Lux's leadership is probably doing the same, although it remains to be seen if they'll wait for an answer."

"The ZU, huh? That's some lawless territory right there," Johnny mused with a frown. "They have a small navy, but it's mostly left to independent militias to defend against space pirates and other threats – it's the excuse LIRA uses to keep one of their fleets there."

"But Lux trades with half the planets in the ZU, so I doubt they'll just rush in – and with the number of different environments they may encounter there, this is an expedition they'll need to prepare heavily for," Milos analysed calmly. "Speaking of which, we need to do our own prep and repairs too…"

"One month," Admiral Turner informed him. "That's how long it's expected to take to hash out the deal. By then the Lionheart and its crew must be ready – no, more than ready. But I know you'll make sure of that, captain."

"Yes, sir," Milos nodded. "By the way, admiral, I read the file on Mercury… is he really ready to fly again, let alone join the Lionheart?"

"The Ray-Man is joining the crew? Really?" Johnny couldn't believe his ears. "My daughter's a fan."

"I understand your concerns, Milos, but don't fear. I've already spoken to someone about his issues and they will be resolved by the time you ship out," Turner finished his drink, only to find his female companions had returned and they pulled on his arms. "Oh, excuse me, gentlemen – it appears I've been called away to the dance floor. Come on, ladies!"

The admiral chased the giggling women to the multi-coloured lights of the dance floor and the two men watched with awe as he danced like a machine.

"My god… after twenty years, how can he still boogie like that?" Johnny shook his head, flabbergasted. "He moves like a man half his age!"

"You see, Johnny! Even the admiral gets more respect than us and he's definitely old!" Milos bellowed over the music and slammed the bar with his fist. "What am I doing wrong?!"

Johnny sighed and finally decided to tell Milos the cold hard truth.

"Milos, women love men in uniform. They don't love… whatever it is you're wearing."

"What, this?" Milos pointed to his gaudy pink and yellow Hawaiian shirt. "This is my favourite shirt! My wife bought it for me."

Johnny gave him one of those looks and Milos suddenly had an epiphany.

"She's good…"

.

END OF PART A

* * *

On to part B.


	11. Episode 06 - Colony Blues - Part B

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam

* * *

Gundam Gemini

Episode Six

Colony Blues

Part B

.

When Laura realised Raymond Mercury, the pretentious poster boy of the RDF, was the same pilot who had almost made Swiss cheese out of her, he was lucky she didn't kill him right then and there.

The Gundam pilot got as far as shirtfronting the ace and would have walloped him in his pretty face, except Christina grabbed her from behind. This left Raymond standing there rather shocked but untouched – which allowed Laura to get a good kick in and he crumbled to the floor clutching his groin. Andre for his part had stayed behind the safety of his camera lens and clicked away nonstop, capturing the whole thing in pictures, and cited journalistic instincts afterwards. Having seen the obvious antagonism between his star models up close, however, the photographer decided to end the session there and had Christina reschedule them for another time.

Of course, that was not the end of it – not by a long shot – and Laura cornered Raymond in the lobby immediately after.

"Hey!" Laura yelled and slammed the wall next to Ray's head so hard the nearby picture frames rocked side to side. "You still owe me an apology – and an explanation! What the hell happened out there?!"

"Uh, Laura, was it?" Raymond held up his hands and tried to placate the raging pilot with a panicked smile. "As much as I enjoy your attentions, can't you just let it go? I mean, we're all on the same side here…"

"No, I can't let it go! Because of you, Vega Aurelia got away!" Laura slammed the wall again and elicited a yelp from the frightened man. "You have no idea how much my friends and I have suffered at her hands! We work so hard formulating battle strategies to beat the Scarlet Wolf and then it takes everything we have to fight her – and every time she gets away! Last time was the best chance we ever had, until you and your stupid blue Garm almost blasted me to bits! If not for you, Vega Aurelia would finally be de– what? What is it?"

Laura stopped her diatribe when she saw the handsome features of the taller man had paled considerably and he had his hands cupped over his mouth and stomach.

"D-Don't… say that name…" he managed to croak, only for Laura to raise a curious eyebrow.

"…Vega Aurelia?"  
Gagging noises bubbled up from Raymond's throat and his eyes and cheeks inflated with visible distress before he pushed Laura out of the way and ran straight for the lavatory. The technopath could only stand and grimace as she heard loud retching sounds from behind the door as the RDF's poster boy lost his lunch several times over. When he was finally done, she sat the tottering ace down on one of the nearby benches while she got him a drink from a vending machine.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Laura asked, going from wounded victim to patient counsellor, and opened a can of sparkling water for him.

Hunched over, Raymond accepted the drink with trembling hands, took a small sip, and breathed deeply. Far from the confident and glamorous flirt he was before, the Ray-Man looked like a ghost of his former self and had gone uncharacteristically quiet. Laura sat on the other end of the bench and waited patiently for him to speak, watching as the man struggled to steady himself.

"…It happened two years ago," Ray began, his voice wavering every so often. "Back then, I was on top of the world… Raymond Mercury, ace of the RDF, Rem's golden boy, the face of the nation… I knew all the fame was getting to my head, but that didn't stop me from thinking I was invincible…"

A bitter smile surfaced on his lips, but it soon evaporated and the can creaked in his hands as he gripped it tight.

"Until I met… _her_…" he paused, focusing on the hole in the can and swallowing. "We missed each other at the Third Battle for Lemuria, right before the RDF picked me to be their ace, but I trained for her. I wanted to prove I was more than a propaganda tool made to counter LIRA's ace – that I was the real deal. So, I got every bit of info and footage I could and trained for three years… but when we finally met on the battlefield, none of it mattered… we never stood a chance."

Raymond took another sip of water and closed his eyes, visualising the memory he could not unsee.

"I'll never forget that red suit… it tore through our formation like a hot knife. I tried to keep up, but… but I could only watch as she shot my friends down, one by one," he gritted his teeth and paused, before continuing. "It was all over in a matter of minutes… I was the only survivor. They say she likes to challenge technopath pilots to a dogfight, but I doubt I even made an impression on her since I managed to escape…"

The former ace opened his eyes again, only to shake his head.

"…No, that's not right. I didn't escape… I ran away. I've been running away ever since…" Ray confessed, covering his face with one hand in shame. "After that, every time I heard her name, I'd either have panic attacks or spew my guts out. She haunted me even in my dreams and I ended up turning to the bottle to cope, until I couldn't live without it. Before I knew it not only had I lost my friends, I lost my rank, my wings, my fame – everything. I survived, but for the last two years I wasn't even living…"

Hearing his story so far, Laura couldn't help but feel for the man and found her eyes drooping with sympathy. Raymond Mercury had been scarred by the Scarlet Wolf, just like her – no, even worse, leaving him a wreck of a human being. Studying the former ace, Laura knew it could easily have been her sitting there traumatised if she hadn't had friends and family to lean on after Tully died.

"What changed?" she asked, prodding him.

Slowly, Ray finally sat up, shifted a hand from his face to his dishevelled orange hair and smoothed it back.

"After Rem lost the Fourth Battle, Admiral Turner found me in a dingy bar, drowning myself with booze as usual and dragged me to rehab," he recounted fondly, and seemed to genuinely smile and relax. "He tried to explain that Rem needed me more than ever and I fobbed him off at first… until he told me about a group of pilots who had gone through what I had and weren't giving up. When the admiral showed me footage of you fighting over Lemuria, I couldn't believe someone out there could keep up with the Scarlet Wolf. For the first time in years… I felt inspired. You inspired me, Laura Hartmann."

Raymond told the technopath to her face with a grin and, unused to receiving gratitude, Laura found herself reciprocating with a bashful curve of her lips.

"After that I managed to find the strength to pull myself together, get sober, and I got my wings back to boot," Ray went on with a budding lilt in his voice and his hands were no longer shaking. "With Admiral Turner's help, I joined the R&D Division as their lead test pilot and helped them develop new mobile suit prototypes based on the Garm. You already saw one; it's called the Garm-Alpha… but I call it the Hermes."

"I won't forget it. You gave me one heck of an entrance," Laura reminded him, extracting a soft chuckle.

"The Baselard and I were actually meant to deliver the Hermes to you, but then we heard the Lionheart required an escort and… well, you know the rest," the ace finished with a deep breath of oxygen, like he had finally gotten something off his chest. "That's my story… and how I got my second chance."

Taking a final swig of the can, he crumpled the object in his hand and threw it at a nearby bin where it bounced off the rim before clattering inside.

"Thanks for telling me… I know that couldn't have been an easy story to tell a stranger. I guess we actually have a lot in common, huh," Laura admitted, before gritting her teeth and forcing out her mea culpa. "Also…sorry I kicked you."

"It's okay, kid. Sorry I shot at you," said Ray, sighing. "I thought I could handle seeing the Fenrir again, but when I saw it up close, I just… lost it."

"Yeah, well, I guess you did save my life there," Laura conceded, before her purple orbs lit up with a shocking thought. "Wait, so, that time at the halo colony… with the friendly fire…"

"Yeah… I was blowing chunks. In my helmet. Couldn't see a damn thing except breakfast."

"Gross…"

"If you think that's gross, wait 'til you hear how I cleaned it up on the fly," Ray put his tongue in his cheek and joked – at least the slack-jawed woman hoped he was joking – and in her silence his tone switched to serious. "But you girls are amazing… you've already faced her several times and you're still not backing down. Once was all it took for me to pack it in and now the mere mention of her name makes me barf… it makes me ashamed to be called an ace."

"Don't blame yourself. What you went through was unimaginable," Laura saw his shoulders slump again and comforted the taller man. "And I know the battle you're talking about – the skirmish two years ago with the Scarlet Wolf and her pack; the report said there was a lone survivor."

"So, you know already…"

"My friends and I have read everything there is to know about her…" Laura nodded, clenching her fists. "That was the first reported sighting of the Fenrir. No amount of training could have prepared you – not for that monster… there was nothing you could have done. It's a miracle you even survived."

"Maybe… but I can't just go back to a normal life after what happened," Ray whispered. "For my own sake and the sake of my fallen comrades, I have to fight her again… I have to face my fears. And when I see her die, maybe I can finally start living."

"That makes two of us," Laura nodded with understanding, but quickly added, "Just remember though – Vega Aurelia is mine."

Raymond groaned and clutched his stomach.

"Oh… sorry. I forgot."

"It's okay… I'm taking medicine for this now, but I left it with my luggage…" Ray took a couple of deep breaths. "And don't worry – I already know I don't have what it takes to beat her. But you, Laura… you just might pull it off. That's why I'm being transferred to the Lionheart – if I can at least help you take out the Scarlet Wolf, it'll be worth it."

"Really? An extra pair of hands would definitely help, especially if it's the famous Ray-Man," Laura teased, before she frowned. "You're not going to be your annoying Ray-Man persona all the time, are you?"

"Oh, that? That's just for the fans. I hate to disappoint them, you know?" Raymond bragged, easily reverting to his celebrity-self as he slicked his hair back. "By the way, did President Winters send you to Andromeda Productions too? She told me it was a top secret assignment…"

"Winters…!" Laura shook her fist for a second time and would have followed up with some choice insults she would never say to her president's face, but her PDA went off with a text message. "It's my friends… we're meeting up for dinner now. Are you going to be, okay?"

"I'll be fine," Raymond waved her off. "I'll see you back on the Lionheart."

Laura got up from the bench and started walking towards the elevator but stopped and turned back around.

"I almost forgot… welcome to Team Orthrus, Mr Mercury."

The older man smiled.

"Thanks, ensign… and call me Ray."

.

* * *

.

For the weary space traveller enduring month-long hauls trapped inside claustrophobic tin cans with only a thin layer of titanium separating them from the freezing-yet-blood-boiling vacuum outside, there was one discomfort even worse than all the aforementioned put together.

Space rations. These unsavoury imitations of earth food, with all the nutrients and none of the flavour, could single-handedly demoralise a crew in days and were the cause of many a near-mutiny. Conversely, the promise of real food at the next port of call could be enough to stave off any ill-discipline and conversation would instead abound with what they would sate their ravenous appetites with first.

Fortunately, in that regard, Colony Zero was a foodie's paradise overflowing with restaurants that served culinary delights of every culture, season and craving – all made with fresh ingredients sourced from the colony's agriculture farms and boiled, baked, roasted, grilled, fried, smoked or sautéed without fear of a kitchen disaster in the simulated gravity. The most esteemed restaurant of them all, boasting a plethora of five-star reviews and accolades, was the Cuisine de Olympus at the top of Olympus Tower – the tallest building in all of Colony Zero. It was here that Sofia had been invited to dine out with her old friends from military academy.

"How did you even get a table? You have to book this place months in advance," said a large woman in a pink dress shirt, whose eyes almost fell out of their sockets as they perused the prices on the menu. Formerly the athlete of the group, she had since let herself go a touch and ran a small business on Colony Zero together with her husband, with whom she already had three children.

"A colleague at the firm made a booking last year to impress a client, but they pulled out at the last moment," another woman in an expensive dress suit replied, and her fox-like features curved upwards. "It would have been a shame to have seen it squandered, not when we all happened to be on Colony Zero at the same time."

"You never let an opportunity go to waste, do you, Mei?" Sofia remarked, smiling as she admired the night view of Colony Zero out the window with wine glass in hand. "It's almost refreshing to see you haven't changed a bit."

Dinner was a congenial affair as they updated one another about their lives over a three-course meal of chicken consommé, boiled lobster, and chocolate souffles. While they ate and conversed, it was obvious to anyone watching they were close friends and chatted like a day hadn't passed since they last met. Soon, however, the conversation turned to that inevitable topic affecting only single women and Sofia gestured for more wine.

"Sofia, have you thought about settling down yet? Maybe meeting someone?" asked the woman in pink, who leaned forward with concern. "I know you're still young, but time waits for no one."

"You sound like my mother, Penny," Sofia sighed, while a waiter filled her glass with white wine. "And my rank and reputation doesn't exactly let me 'meet people'. Drives them away, more like. Thank god..."

"It is hard to imagine our Sofia bagging herself a man – even at the academy, she was always the consummate professional," the fox-faced woman, Mei, chuckled and flashed the engagement ring on her finger, having just told them she had a fiancé. "But on the subject of settling down, I think you should consider it. The war's not ending anytime soon and there's plenty of other fields in which you could excel. We do worry about you, you know?"  
"I know…" said Sofia, who was touched enough to smile. "But I can't right now… my current duties are too important."

"We've heard that excuse before, but is that really all?" Penny pressed, noticing a tiny change in Sofia's demeanour that wasn't there the last time.

"Well…" the commander faltered, and the faces of the orphans flashed in her mind. "There's some new recruits I've taken under my wing – a team of all-female pilots. If I'm being completely honest… they remind me of us."

"Ah, I see now," Mei nodded with understanding. "You're still thinking about what happened ten years ago."

"You weren't responsible for what happened… she always did things her own way," said Penny, and three pairs of eyes lingered on the empty chair at their table. "The fault belongs to this war… it's killed so many of our young for so long. I know I don't have to tell you this, but… try not to get attached."

"I know, and perhaps it's just my sense of self-satisfaction speaking, but… if I can prepare and help them to survive for even a day longer, I think it will be worth it," Sofia spoke softly of her charges, not realising she was smiling until she saw her friends gazing upon her with pride, and hastened to add, "Also, I'm this close to being promoted to captain. I can't stop here."

Chuckling, the three women raised their glasses and made a toast.

"To the future captain!"

After dinner, they went their separate ways for another year and Sofia took the monorail back to the spaceport. The night was still young and the lights on the opposite side of the colony above shined like stars, but as an XO she preferred to report back early to set an example – Sofia Gabriel had never been tardy and she wasn't about to start now. When she arrived, the platform was deserted and a check of her wristwatch showed the next train of gondolas were still several minutes away.

Sofia heard footsteps and when she looked back up, she realised someone else was on the platform – a tall man with spiky orange hair in a blue RDF uniform.

After his stomach had finally settled, Raymond left Andromeda Productions and was headed straight to the Lionheart to report for duty when he found himself frozen in his tracks on the spaceport platform.

The woman before him was the most beautiful he had ever laid eyes upon, with long, midnight blue hair draped over milky white skin and piercing red eyes which matched her full lips. The azure dress she wore only complemented her stunning hourglass figure, flaunted her long legs, and dainty feet in black heels peeked out from underneath. When Ray realised he was gawking like a zombie he mentally struggled to get his befuddled mind back in order.

_"Cool it, Ray!"_ he chided himself, inwardly. _"Play it cool!"_

The last time Ray had a girlfriend was before he joined the RDF and while becoming an ace had boosted his popularity among women, there had always been a chaperone to make sure he never got too friendly with his female fans. That said, even when he was at the height of his fame, the beauty in front of him would have been out of his league… but Ray wasn't going to let that stop him. Raymond Mercury was a new man again and fortune favoured the bold – and who knows, she might be a fan.

"Time to bring out the old charm…" the ace whispered to himself and slicked back his hair, before approaching the woman in blue. "Evening, miss. Night on the town?"

"…Something like that," the woman replied, keeping her expression neutral, and her husky voice sent a shiver down Ray's spine.

"I knew it when I saw your lovely blue dress. You were so attractive, I just froze up – you didn't bewitch me, did you?" he half-joked, flattering her and piling on the charm with his best lady-killer smile, which was usually enough to win over most women.

"You look fine to me," she said, with an aloof expression that gave nothing away, and Ray's heart skipped a beat under her intense red gaze.

"By the way, I'm a pilot with the RDF," he casually dropped his occupation, something else which usually got positive attention from women. "Warrant Officer–"

"Raymond Mercury," the woman finished for him. "You're the ace of the RDF."

_"She's a fan!"_ Ray's inner voice cried with premature victory.

"Oh, so you've already heard of me?" Ray held his chin and smiled, making sure she could see his good side, and as the overconfident ace felt his stocks skyrocket his lines trickled out with increasing smoothness. "Can I interest you in a drink? The night is still young and I could use the company. You see, I'll be shipping out tomorrow and… and I don't want to spend what might be my last night alone. I know, with a woman as beautiful as you, we could make some sweet memories together…"

He shuffled closer and cast his big puppy eyes towards his feet, while feeding her a sob story – only a woman with a heart of stone would ignore this perfect sympathy play. She finally turned his way and stared up into the taller man's eyes, and he grew conscious of how close their faces were. Ray was so lost in the intoxicating scent of the woman's perfume and her striking upturned eyes that he never saw it coming.

The woman's palm smacked him across the cheek like a bomb, almost twisting his head right off as it spun ninety-degrees and left him with a serious case of whiplash.

"You've got a lot of nerve hitting on your superior officer, Mercury," said the woman, who reached into her purse while Ray nursed his aching neck, and he watched open-mouthed as she retrieved an RDF identity card and thrust it into his face. "Commander Sofia Gabriel of the Lionheart – your new XO."

Ray had to gape at the card for a few seconds, confused and breathless, before his face drained of blood and he stood to salute like his life depended on it.

"M-Ma'am! M-My apologies, ma'am!" he stammered, and kept his eyes towards the colony's ceiling and prayed. "I, I had no idea!"

"Shut up! I don't want to hear your excuses, warrant officer!" Sofia barked and gave Ray his first taste of the RDF's dreaded demon commander. "If you ever address me like that again, I will personally remove your manhood and mount it on your wall so you'll never be lonely again – is that the last night you wanted, Mercury!?"

"No, ma'am! Please, no!" Ray squeezed his eyes shut and cried, just as the train of gondolas rolled in on the platform and opened their doors.

"Good. Now get in," Sofia ordered him, and the ace was perplexed until he realised the demon commander intended to get in the gondola with him. "Admiral Turner told me all about your little problem and I've prepared the perfect training regimen to beat you back into shape."

Raymond gulped and retreated into the carriage as Sofia advanced on him.

"Don't worry, Mercury. When I'm done with you, it will all feel like a sweet memory…"

As the door hissed shut and the gondola was carried away, Ray had only just begun to grasp the true peril of the predicament he found himself in. Instead of a memory, he had gotten a nightmare… one he was going to see every day. Observing the sadistic look on the commander's pretty face, the ace recalled that age-old adage.

In space, no one could hear you scream.

.

* * *

.

After filling their stomachs and singing their lungs out at a karaoke diner, the orphans meandered their way back to the spaceport arm-in-arm, humming tunes with varying degrees of harmony. They weren't intoxicated – Sofia would have their behinds if they were – but they were certainly feeling merry as their day out on Colony Zero came to an end. They arrived at the platform just in time to see a train of gondolas take off back to the docks.

"Shoot! We just missed it," Freya cursed, pretending to be angry, only to laugh with the rest of her friends. "Shore leave extension!"

"Hey, was that Commander Gabriel?" said an eagle-eyed Junko, watching the gondolas disappear out of the colony like a centipede. "I think she was with someone."

"It looked like a man," commented Alice, to loud and juvenile oohs and aahs.

"No way! You'd need balls of steel to even approach the Demon Commander," Laura joked, provoking fit of giggles from the others.

The technopath paled when she sensed they weren't alone and prayed it wasn't Sofia behind her – but it turned out to be another pair of acquaintances.

"Milos?" she exclaimed, and saw her father being supported around the shoulder by Superintendent Moses. "Are you drunk?!"

"No, I am not drunk…" the captain growled with painstaking diction as Superintendent Moses helped him stagger up to the platform. "This is just… an unfortunate series of events."

"He challenged Admiral Turner to a dance-off…" Moses explained, grinning, "…only to trip and fall on his behind."

"Seriously?" Junko clapped her hands and laughed. "No one can outdance the Turner – his stamina is legendary!"

"And you wore that shirt in public?" Freya gasped at the sight of the Hawaiian shirt peeking out from underneath Milo's jacket and covered her mouth. "Laura, your dad's fashion sense is legendary in itself…"

"Oh, the admiral and Milos! I would have loved to have witnessed that tango," Alice swooned and clasped her hands together, before setting her sights on the men holding each other up. "But this is wonderful too…"

Moses raised a puzzled eyebrow at the blonde angel but was left in the bliss of ignorance as the next train of gondolas pulled up to the platform.

"Come on, I'll help carry you in," Laura sighed, and supported Milos from the other side. "Wait until Clara hears about this…"

"She'll vouch for me – I dance just as well as the admiral!" Milos insisted, and they all filed into the same gondola. "And by the way, not a word of this to the other crew members – that's an order."

Freya and Junko froze in their seats with their PDAs in hand and a flood of texts began to sound in the carriage.

"Oops…"

Milos shook his head and exhaled forcibly.

"You see, Johnny? What did I tell you… what did I tell you?"

The doors locked shut and they were returned to zero-G as the gondola took them back to the hive docking bay. There, freed from the weight of simulated gravity, Milos eschewed assistance and hobbled to the Lionheart's gate by himself. Once the group was inside the ship, a familiar face greeted them in the corridor.

"Captain Hartmann," Raymond, who looked a little worse for wear, saluted when the group floated by. "Warrant Officer Raymond Mercury, reporting for duty, sir."

"Ah, yes, Mercury," Milos saluted back. "Glad to have you aboard. You came on Admiral Turner's recommendation, so we're expecting great things."

"This is the guy?" Freya whispered to Laura and looked the newcomer up and down, unimpressed. "He looked better on TV…"

"By the way, this is Team Orthrus," Milos gestured to the young women, before addressing them. "The warrant officer may rank under you, but he's more experienced in mobile suit combat, so take note."

"Oh my god, it is Ray-Man!" Junko screamed, leaping forward to get a close-up look at the RDF ace, and Ray suspected she hadn't heard a word the captain had said. "I totally thought you were dead and said Laura was lying, but here you are in the flesh! I'm actually a big fan, you know…"

"You don't say?" Ray smiled and relaxed his shoulders, relieved to finally get a normal reaction.

"…of your blue Garm! What's it made of? Does it use a new engine? What's its top speed? Are there more? Can I see them?"

"This is Junko," Laura put her hand on the mechanic's bobbing head and reigned it in before a stunned Ray was overwhelmed. "Our resident mobile suit maintainer and fanatic."

"At your service!"

"That's Freya and Alice behind me; I already told them about you too," the Gundam pilot gestured with her thumb, and noticed a look of query on Milo's face at their familiarity. "Oh, we already met, earlier today."

"I see… so you've met my daughter already, Mercury?" Milos put an emphasis on 'daughter' and his dark stare gave Ray a cold sweat.

"Hey, Mercury!" Freya caught his attention, and the pilot felt like he was being assaulted from all sides. "You probably think you're hot stuff, but while you've been sucking on your thumb, Team Orthrus has been kicking LIRA's ass and taking names – we're the real aces of this war, not you! If you want any chance of being one of us, you've got to start from the bottom – in other words, you're lower than plankton until I say so! And finally, flyboy, Team Orthrus has one purpose and you either get on board with it or go bust – killing Vega Aurelia!"

Freya jabbed her finger at Ray, albeit at a safe distance, but when he didn't react the way she expected the diva furrowed her brow and turned to Laura.

"Hey, what gives? I thought you said he spews at the sound of her name?"

Laura sighed at her friend's childish antics and covered her face, only to hear laughter coming from Freya's intended victim.

"Nice try, brat! I thought this might happen, so I just took a double-dose of my medicine," Ray gloated, and the pink-haired girl flushed with anger. "Don't underestimate a veteran – try hazing me when you've been in this war long enough to grow out of your diapers."

"D-Diapers?! How dare you!" Freya bellowed and shook her fist, appalled. "And it's not brat, it's Ensign Valstein – I outrank you, warrant officer!"

"Maybe you do, ensign, but I was flying mobile suits when you were still playing with your dollies – and I saw Vega Aurelia first!"

"The nerve! Forget Ray-Man, you're a Ray-Boy on the inside and a Ray-Old-Man on the outside!"

"H-Hey, I'm still only twenty-five!"

Laura groaned as the two fully-grown children butted heads and she, Junko and Alice got between them.

"Ray-Man…. Ramen?" Alice did not help when she began chuckling to herself in her odd way.

"What's going on here?!"

Sofia suddenly appeared, having changed back into her uniform, and the four women and one man lined up and saluted faster than a panicked flock of sheep.

"I see you've already been introduced," the demon commander observed, running her crimson gaze over them like a razor. "But do you understand the value of teamwork… or do I have to teach you?"

"Ma'am! No, ma'am!" they replied in unison and Sofia nodded, satisfied.

"She has you whipped already, huh?" Freya whispered to Ray, who could only grunt in response.

"Captain, superintendent," Sofia greeted the others and made a report. "I just passed one of the hangar crew. Apparently, the Lionheart received several deliveries in our absence."

"Deliveries?" Milos repeated, uninformed of this development, and marched straight to the hangar bay with the XO and the superintendent in tow. Laura and the others tagged along, and she noticed Ray had a knowing smile on his face. When they arrived, the hangar was abuzz with excitement and the deliveries were hard to miss – three new mobile suits were docked in the bay alongside the Orthrus and they came with containers packed with brand-new equipment.

"The blue Garm!" Junko cried, and threw herself at the azure giant for an inspection. Meanwhile Freya and Alice, whose Garms were destroyed in the last battle, were more enamoured with the other two mobile suits which were of a similar model to Ray's but white. On the surface they were smaller versions of the RDF Garm, but were leaner, sleeker, and similar to the Gundam in ways that filled them with breathless excitement.

"Could these be…"

"…For us?"

"Yep, compliments of the R&D Division. Looks like they arrived in time," Ray explained to the girls' widening smiles. "They're the new Garm-model prototypes, built using what we learnt from all the data the Lionheart sent of the Orthrus. Alpha is mine and was made for high-speed manoeuvring, while Beta and Gamma were calibrated for mid-range melee and long-range support, respectively."

"That's perfect. It's like they were made for us," said Alice, unable to take her amber eyes away from the new Garms.

"Well, your data was mixed in there with the Orthrus too, so it only made sense," Ray answered. "We only want the best pilots for field testing, after all."

"Awesome!" Freya hooted, ecstatic to have her own personal suit, before coughing and returning to a ladylike manner. "It's about time they recognised my talents. They'll need new paint jobs though… and new names. R&D obviously has no imagination…"

"Feel free," Ray chuckled in agreement. "I called mine Hermes."

"And what's this?" Laura pointed to the base of her Gundam where a new rifle and shield sat inside their opened crates. The rifle in particular was unlike those issued by the RDF and had an open 'beak' rather than a barrel.

"It was pointed out to R&D that standard RDF equipment was not very compatible with the Orthrus' Solar Mode," said Ray. "So, they designed a Solar Rifle and a Solar Shield for you, each made of Gundanium composite."

"I knew it!" Junko shouted, and leapt from the Hermes to drool over the Orthrus' new equipment. "A shield that can absorb beams and a rifle that can fire them back!"

"In theory," Ray laughed. "Try not to lose them though – as you can imagine, they're in limited supply."

"Understood," Laura replied, and her lips curved with glee as she ran a hand over the new weapons. "These are just what we need to fight the Fenrir now that it has a Gravity Mode. Are you up for it, Ray?"

"You know I am," the former ace responded, and took a good look at the Orthrus towering above him with awe, his first encounter with the Gundam outside of videos, photos, and a breakfast-stained visor. "There's more equipment and supplies here too, including flight packs for atmospheric deployment – oh, and someone ordered more Vulcans?"

"That's me!" Junko declared and made a beeline for them, while Laura darted out to stop her.

"Oh, no you don't!"

While the pilots and crew fussed over the new mobile suits and equipment, prompting Moses and Sofia to jump in and restore order, Milos watched with quiet approval. It appeared a day of shore leave had done everyone good and along with the gifts from R&D, their morale had been restored after their defeat at the halo colony. The captain then recalled Admiral Turner's words; they had one month to get ready for the ZUN expedition – the Lionheart, the crew, the mobiles suits, the pilots… everyone.

Even now, as his daughter and her friends laughed, LIRA too was preparing for the next theatre of the war. The thought of facing the Scarlet Wolf and the Lunar Fox again, after narrowly surviving them so many times, made Milos shudder – but it also made him more determined than ever.

In the next month, he had to make every second count – the lives of everyone aboard the Lionheart were depending on it.

.

* * *

.

Just as Rem had their own midway station on the route to Lemuria in Colony Zero, Lux had theirs in an asteroid station named Elsinore Base. Found floating just outside Lux's Gate on the Lemurian side, the large asteroid had been converted into a LIRA military base with which to defend the entrance to the motherland and screened trade ships and their goods from the Zodiac Union before they were allowed entry into the Lux system. The large and impressive base also acted as a crucial stopping point for LIRA and serviced ships and mobile suits while allowing their crew to rest within its facilities.

It was here at Elsinore Base that the Blue Crow had come to dock for repairs after the battle at the halo colony and their arrival had coincided with a historic event – the first space barbecue.

"I hereby declare these hamburgers and steak, grilled to perfection!"

A theatrical voice boomed throughout the base's cavernous hangar bay, deep within the belly of the asteroid, and Vega Aurelia held up a pair of tongs to the deafening cheer of hundreds of her fellow LIRA comrades. The throng of black and green uniformed revellers were gathered around the Fenrir, which kneeled in the centre of the bay, and walked or sat on the ground in zero-G despite the base's lack of simulated gravity. Thanks to a power cable connecting the Fenrir to the Elsinore's nuclear fusion reactor, it had an unlimited supply of power with which to use its Gravity Mode – which presented a unique opportunity Vega could not resist.

"Come, gorge yourselves on this meaty and juiciest of fare – fresh, straight from the motherland and slow-roasted tender in searing flame!" the Scarlet Wolf, with her long silver hair tied back and wearing an appropriately red apron, flogged her wares with the charm of a lively hawker and was obviously enjoying herself. "There is more than enough to go around – after all, loyal and noble service must be rewarded!"

Along with a dozen other officers, including Ursula and Luke, Vega personally served the hungry masses as they lined up for a buffet of mouth-watering dishes. Behind them a long row of portable barbecue grills, 'borrowed' from those meant for LIRA's ground forces on Lemuria, filled the air with delectable scents and hissed with loud, satisfying sizzles which played like music to their ears. After grabbing their grub, the excited diners mingled freely and either sat on the floor or at makeshift tables and chairs, while others took the novelty of artificial gravity further and played volleyball nearby.

"How did I get roped into this?" bemoaned an aproned Ursula as she scurried to and fro, replenishing food on the buffet table from their makeshift kitchen.

"Don't be like that, captain," Luke grinned from his station at the grill, and turned over another steak before gesturing at the crowd with his eyes. "Look at them… they needed this."

Indeed, the mood was overwhelmingly positive and gave their space-bound comrades much-needed doses of home, normality and real food that wasn't space rations. Vega and the Fenrir too were an added attraction as they cast their spell over their new and grateful followers – including the base's commander who, while initially angry at what Vega had done, felt compelled to join them after some careful persuasion… which may or may not have involved pork chops. However, there was one individual who was far from joyous at the festivities and, in particular, its masked host riled them to no end.

"Out of the way! Clear the way! Make way, you lower-born dolts – your presence has been graced by nobility!"

A shrill voice shouted above the crowd, which parted to allow a familiar figure to pass through – a tall officer with a large chin and golden hair gelled into place like a blonde cast. His small beady-eyed underling trailed close behind, barking at those that gave the pair dirty looks, but his master either ignored them or was totally unaware. When he stopped in front of the buffet, which stood between him and Vega, there was a pause as they considered one another.

"Ambion…" Vega spoke first and greeted him with an unreadable expression.

"Aurelia…" Narick acknowledged her, keeping his tone civil even as he raged inside.

"There is a queue, you know."

"You see, that's where you're wrong, Aurelia," the scion simpered, and proudly put his hands on his hips. "We of the nobility have the privilege – nay, the duty – of standing above the lower classes. After all, we cannot lead them standing from behind! It would do you well to remember that as you wait on them like some common kitchen wench."

Narick grinned to himself as if he had just given an intelligent sermon while his minion fanned his ego by clapping on his lonesome and Ursula could have sworn the smaller man had a tear in his eye. But even as the crowd murmured, Vega was unperturbed.

"Funny," the masked woman smiled. "I seem to remember you standing behind me at the podium quite a bit."

Narick's eye twitched and he heard the crowd snicker behind him.

"T-Those were trivial contests between children! Hardly worthy of your boasting."

"You're right. What was I thinking?" Vega conceded, before thoroughly wiping the smirk off his irritating face with her next words. "Viewing you as an adult was being far too generous. 'Child' describes you much more accurately."

Now both of Narick's eyes convulsed as they mirrored the chasm made by his oversized jaw and when the laughter started it appeared as if a freakish tomato had replaced the nobleman's head atop his body.

"And I certainly wouldn't want to be accused of besting a child," his rival added, to even more boisterous laughter, and the heir to House Ambion could only cross his arms while his beady-eyed sycophant tried to silence everyone.

"…Are you going to serve me, Aurelia, or are you going to prattle on all day?" Narick hissed out from between gritted teeth when the laughter finally died down, only for his self-control to be tested when Vega's lips curved into a victory smile.

"Ursula, a special order for the major, if you would," she bid her second, who braved the tension and prepared a plate with one of everything. "By the way, I heard the terrible news about the Tybalt and Team Ambion. That you were one of the few survivors was nothing short of… miraculous."

Vega let her tongue linger on that final word and her opponent suspiciously flinched.

"Y-Yes! Yes, it was! Those Rem cowards, disguising their fleet as innocent junkers and shooting first!" cried Narick, closing his eyes and shaking his fist. "Despite all my skill, there was nothing I could do to save my poor, poor brothers-in-arms…"

"Of course," the Scarlet Wolf crooned with sympathy, although her tone sounded mocking to the nobleman, who had kept one dry eye open to gauge her reaction.

"Y-Your team hardly fared any better!" he tried to change the subject, only to glance at the Fenrir towering above them, and Narick grinded his teeth to a reluctant concession. "Although I suppose congratulations are in order, for your…. achievement…"

He almost spat out the word as his entire being melted with scarcely concealed jealousy – and one look at Vega told him that behind that infuriating mask of hers, she was enjoying every second of his suffering.

"For you to say so, Ambion… it was certainly worth finding the Gravity Relic first," the daughter of House Aurelia whispered so only he could hear and watched as his face swelled like a pink balloon. She then took the readied plate of food from Ursula to hand over to Narick, but he was in no mood to accept.

"Cecil!" he bellowed, and the underling took the plate instead. After they both stormed off, Vega resumed her duties as host and order returned to the crowd.

"Who's the flunky?" Ursula asked Luke, watching as Cecil shooed a group of diners away from their table so Narick could have it all to himself.

"Cecil Weaver," Luke answered. "The Weavers have served the Ambions for generations as retainers, but this one willingly chose to enlist in LIRA alongside his master – now that's blind loyalty."

"He acts more like a servant than a subordinate," Ursula almost gagged watching the man pamper the pompous buffoon of House Ambion and shook her head. "Has he no self-respect?"

"Well, he was probably raised to be Ambion's butler and worships the ground he walks on… but don't underestimate him," Luke warned her. "That rank of captain is real."

"What are you two gossiping about?" Vega caught sight of them and pointed her tongs like a wand. "Move those hands!"

After everyone present had been served, Vega stole the show again by proposing a toast to the fallen, a swift victory over Rem, and to Lux's glory, which were all received with much cheer. But little did those gathered know they were being watched from above, from behind one of the many windows overlooking the hangar bay, far outside the Fenrir's well of gravity. There, inside the shadowy corridors of Elsinore Base which girded the hangar, a skeletal figure observed the festivities with their bony hands folded behind their backs.

"General Cypher?"

Commodore Sparrhorn was just on his way to the barbeque when he crossed paths with the notorious general. Years ago, when Jonas had first joined LIRA, Leonidas Cypher had already built a reputation as a cold and calculating officer who achieved victory by any means necessary and did it without mirth, anger, or any other emotion. He had not changed much over the years, including his tall and reed-like frame which, together with his black uniform, had earned him the nickname 'Reaper'.

"I didn't realise you were on Elsinore, sir," Jonas stopped and saluted, but Cypher neither reciprocated the salute nor turned around. Instead, he kept his gaze on the congregation in the distance.

"I am personally overseeing the resupply of the Fourth Fleet," the old man replied, speaking of his command with a chilling baritone that had lost none of its authority, despite his age. "Tell me, Sparrhorn… what is this?"

"Oh, Major Aurelia decided to throw a party for the troops – with authorization, of course," Jonas explained, not mentioning it was sanctioned after the fact. "The Gravity Relic gave her the idea… it's quite the sight."

"Yes, the relic… it was worth coming to witness its power," Cypher whispered, and from the general's reflection in the glass, Jonas swore he saw the man they called the Reaper crack a ghost of a smile, before his lips reset to a dour line. "Commodore, I do not approve of these events in times of war – and when the Blue Crow falls under my command, I will approve of them even less. Do you understand?"

"Yes, general. I will have a word with Major Aurelia immediately."

Cypher nodded and finally spun around, revealing pale skin pulled taut over the protruding features of his skull, and wisps of uneven white hair fell out from behind his cap. The general's eyes, black and hollow, cast a cursory glance at Jonas before he pushed off the window and floated down the corridor. When his superior was sufficiently out of earshot, the Lunar Fox stopped holding in his breath and exhaled with relief – he had known many merciless individuals in his life, but none of them froze his blood like the Reaper.

He watched Cypher disappear down another corridor, but not before the general met up with a group of pilots wearing black masks and Jonas squinted his eyes. Rumours of the Reaper having his own personal and secret squad of pilots in the Zodiac Union, where the Fourth Fleet was stationed, had made its way to Lux over the past decade, but Jonas had never considered it any more than a rumour – until now. Their masks were even more guarded than Vega's, appearing to be gas masks or breathing apparatus that covered their entire head, except for the last pilot who had a shock of white hair coming out the back.

The pilot looked directly at Jonas, sending a shiver down the old man's spine, before the abomination left with their commander. When the relic hunt continued into the Zodiac Union, the Blue Crow was going to have to work closely with the Fourth Fleet as they followed the star map – a thought the Lunar Fox did not relish after this experience. The barbeque below in the hanger bay caught his eye again and the commodore remembered what he had been doing and continued on his way.

Experience told Jonas they had to enjoy things while they lasted, because nothing lasts forever – whether it be victory… or good grub.

"They better not run out of hot dogs before I get there…"

.

**END OF EPISODE SIX**

* * *

Next Episode Preview

JUNKO: _Finally, the Lionheart is going to the Zodiac Union! Jungles, beaches, relics, and… pirates?! No, the ZU Militia? Hey, keep your hands off our Blonde Hellhound!_

_ Next time, on Gundam Gemini:_

_ Death at the Zodiac._

_ Laura, you can swim, right? Can the Orthrus at least dog-paddle?_

_._

* * *

Finally done! This one took a while and I expect the next episode to be even longer... so I hope you like waiting.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed learning more about the characters, plus the new ones introduced here. There hasn't been much action lately, but things will heat up again next episode, so look forward to it!

Thanks for reading and see you next time!


	12. Episode 07 - Death at the Zodiac -Part A

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam.

A big, big thanks to LW for taking time out to proofread my hideous draft. THANK YOU!

Also, I'm really sorry about the length, feel free to take breaks. More on that at the end.

* * *

Gundam Gemini

Episode Seven

Death at the Zodiac

Part A

.

In the Rem Republic, the official residence of their elected presidents was a majestic building known as the Ivory Tower. Constructed using materials salvaged from the Lion Ark, it had served as a beacon of hope for the newly arrived refugees in the republic's early days and continued to do so even as the first city of New Lyon rose around it. Today, while the Ivory Tower still attracted much reverence and photo-ops as it stood out amongst the taller skyscrapers looming behind it, the same could not said for its occupants.

_"Six months after the disastrous Fourth Battle for Lemuria, the Winter administration still refuses to outline its strategy to win the Lemurian Conflict or bring RDF troops stranded on the yellow planet back home, claiming military confidentiality."_

Tapping her finger with increasing agitation, Caroline sat behind her oak desk and watched the TV hung up on the Lion Office wall as a female journalist reported from outside the very tower the president was in.

"_As the administration continues to poll poorly over the issue, the leader of the opposition, Senator Chalmers, has made it a key argument for the election next year and had this to say."_

The report cut to a round man with a grey combover standing outside the domed legislature building where congress was held and he appeared to be speaking in front of a crowd.

"_The winter of our discontent never ends with this president! Well, I say we give her a taste of her own medicine and freeze her out until the troops are brought home! Bring the troops home! Bring the troops home! Bring the…"_

The senator and his supporters began to chant, but Caroline muted the volume by throwing the remote at the screen and it bounced off with a bang.

"Winter of our discontent?! I'm the one who's discontent!" she cried, standing up and slamming her desk. "Stupid Chalmers. What the hell happened to national unity in times of crisis? And where's my coffee?!"

"Right here, Madam President!"

Ridgeway rushed in carrying a takeaway cup of steaming hot coffee and, paying mind to the emblem of Rem's standing White Lion imprinted on the blue carpet, went around it and handed the commander-in-chief her morning dose of caffeine. The defence minister, and occasional errand-boy, wiped the sweat from his wet forehead with a handkerchief only to perspire some more as he watched the president take a sip and frown.

"Ridgeway, you nincompoop! I ordered a triple regular espresso with almond milk – this is a quad decaf caffé latte with soy!"

"I-I'm sorry, Madam President, but they said it was the same thing!"

"Who? Who said that?! Darren?!"

"Darren quit, Madam President…"

For a moment, Caroline's angry features were overcome with shock at the departure of her favourite barista before she downed the container's contents in one and thrust it back into Ridgeway's chest.

"Listen to me carefully, Ridgeway – you march back down to that cafeteria, find someone who knows how make coffee the way I like it, and don't come back until they do it right!"

"B-But the elevator's out of service! I already had to walk a dozen flights of stairs – twice!"

"Really? No wonder my coffee was a degree cooler than I liked…" Winters clicked her tongue before coming up with a suitable solution. "…Next time, run."

Ridgeway looked horrified and his teeth began to chatter.

"B-B-But, but…"

The president put her hands on her hips and stared the minister down with her hawk-like eyes, silencing him. With slumped shoulders, Ridgeway retreated without another word and passed the large figure of Admiral Barton as he left.

"Barton!" Winters yelled and pointed his attention to the TV. "Are you seeing this? We're getting killed on TV! What's the point of the Lionheart's achievements if I can't announce them?!"

"Please be patient, Madam President. The Lionheart's mission is still on-going – it would be disastrous for all of us if the enemy obtained any clues to its activities and findings. But once all the locations on the star map have been searched, I promise you will have a wealth of good news to announce to the public," Barton's calm and authoritative demeanour managed to placate his leader as usual and the president sat back down with a long sigh. "In fact, I just received a report that the Lionheart and the First Fleet have passed the Gate into the Zodiac Union and came to share it with you."

"I suppose everything is going according to plan…" Caroline admitted and bit her thumb, thinking of ways to distract the public and media until the Lionheart returned to win her the election only for her intercom to buzz. "Yes?"

"Madam President, the ZU ambassador is on the line," her secretary said.

"Him again? The ZU better not be backing out of our deal," the president grumbled, picked up the phone and instantly transformed from frigid to sunny. "Ambassador Li! How good to hear from you again. Did you pass on my regards to Chancellor Zhou? I trust our arrangement is intact – free passage for our fleet to explore the ZU and ship-building materials in exchange for arms and new technology, including any resulting from the fleet's discoveries, is more than generous I would argue… wait, what? What?! What did you say?!"

During his tenure advising the Winter Administration, Barton had rarely seen anything faze the master chameleon politician but as he watched her mask slip away even the admiral of the fleet could not help but hold his breath with alarm.

"Admiral…" Caroline finally spoke in a low whisper. "It's a tiny possibility, but… we may have a _leak_…"

.

* * *

.

It was that red suit again. That peerless Valkyrie of wrought steel and polished armour; it should have been a thing of beauty. Instead, it filled Ray's heart with terror and its demonic face haunted the man even in his dreams.

But this was no dream.

Like a shooting star of ill omen burning brightly in the darkness of space, the Fenrir swooped down from the heavens on a pair of fiery crimson wings and glowing yellow eyes. Ray wrenched his controls and the Hermes narrowly avoided the speeding red blur by thrusting to the side. This was not going to end the same way as his dreams – not if he could help it.

Demonstrating the Hermes' uncanny agility, the ace coiled the mobile suit around and went after the Fenrir without delay, firing his twin rifles at its rear. The red beast twisted and turned as its pursuer gave chase, dodging rapid bursts of blue plasma while trying to shake free. But Ray alternated his fire and guided the enemy into his crosshairs – and one perfectly timed pull of his trigger later, a beam pierced the Scarlet Wolf's back before she exploded.

The destruction of his hated foe should have been cause for celebration, but Ray knew it was far from over and the ping of his radar proved it so – a second Fenrir, charging from underneath. The pilot kicked in his reverse thrusters and dodged the swing of a neon beamsabre, followed by several more slashes as he flew away at speed – facing backwards. The Hermes was so nimble that even while flying the wrong way around in space it managed to keep the speeding Fenrir just out of reach – long enough for Ray to dispatch the Scarlet Wolf for a second time with a well-aimed shot.

The red suit transformed into a giant fireball, which swiftly extinguished in the vacuum of space to reveal a charred, floating husk. Ray leaned back in his seat to admire his handiwork, before the screen went black and the roof of the cockpit opened at the sound of a drawn-out jingle. When the Ray-Man floated out of the simulator, he made sure he was wearing his cockiest grin.

"How's that brat? That's five wins in a row now!" he hooted, and when Freya floated out of her own simulator with a furious gaze Ray made sure she saw him smooth his orange fringe back. "They don't call me an ace for nothing!"

"Shut up, old man!" the Pink Diva growled, and banged her fist on the simulator. "I don't get it – we had you beat for the first five matches!"

"You did, but – and don't take this personally – your piloting became way too predictable," Ray smirked and wagged his finger, causing Freya to angrily grind her teeth. "You're going to have to change it up more than that if you want to fight the Scarlet Wolf, let alone imitate her."

"There's no need to gloat, warrant officer. We are doing this for your benefit, you realise," Alice appeared from the simulator next to Freya and chided him with a tiny hint of annoyance. "And by your logic I hope you don't mean to die at Vega Aurelia's hands five times in a row before finally beating her, because there is a small quandary to that plan."

"That's right!" Freya banged her fist again, sickened ever since learning they had to play the Scarlet Wolf to help with Ray's trauma over a month ago. "We don't have to take this from the guy who was puking his guts out every training session until a week ago – hey, where are you going? We want our rematch, old man!"

"Sorry, Ensign Brat, but this old man needs a short break," Ray waved the sore loser away and made for the door.

When it closed shut behind him, only then did Ray bend over and clutch his chest, panting heavily like he had run a marathon.

"Those little monsters…!" he whispered, wiping the sweat from his forehead, and his eyes bulged out of their sockets with disbelief.

Ray thought he had Team Orthrus' number after studying hours of footage of them in action back at the R&D lab, but nothing could have prepared the former ace for what went on in that simulator room. Those videos were already out of date – the orphans had gotten even better since and as a technopath he could not compare; it was all Ray could do to keep up with them. Sure, he may have finally won five matches in a row there, but he had no doubt Freya and Alice would learn from their mistakes and be even stronger next time.

However, Laura was the worst. When Ray fought Laura, even though he knew it was a simulation, he could seriously believe at times that he was facing off against the Scarlet Wolf herself. Fortunately, Commander Gabriel's training regimen in the VR relic, in combination with his meds, had helped tremendously with his fears. With some more sessions and some luck, Ray prayed he would finally be free of his trauma.

"You were right, commander… this all just might become a sweet memory," he murmured, regaining his breath. "I hope…"

.

* * *

.

"So, what do you think so far?"

Laura, who had been monitoring the mock battles on the simulator room's computer with Junko, asked the others once Ray was out of sight.

"Humph. I guess he passes…" Freya crossed her arms with a grunt and tossed her head.

"She says he's pretty good," Alice translated with a smile, and the diva slapped her shoulder in retaliation. "Not only are his technopathic abilities almost on par with us, he has a lot of dogfighting experience with LIRA and gives excellent advice – and he seems to be getting over his trauma, which is promising."

"Yeah, I was getting sick of the smell of barf in the simulators…" Junko made a face, and the others nodded in agreement. "But seriously, ever since the Ray-Man showed up, everyone's data keeps getting better! It's like you're all pushing each other to reach a higher level."

The mechanic showed off the positive graphs on the monitor and they huddled around it.

"I knew it – some fresh blood and new ideas was just what we needed to test and overcome our limits," said Laura, wondering if this was what Admiral Turner intended. "At this rate, we should be prepared for whatever LIRA throws at us in the Zodiac Union."

"Don't forget the Scarlet Wolf," Freya punched her fist. "I can't wait to test my Brunhild on her!"

"As expected of the daughter of bookworms, you really like that name," Alice teased.

"Well, it's a lot better than yours," the diva shot back.

"Do not speak ill of the Jabberwock!" the Disappointing Angel retorted to much laughter.

Before they left Colony Zero, the pair had been test flying their new mobile suits every day and had fallen in love with them from the first flight. Milos had forbidden them from giving the prototypes full paint jobs, much to Freya's consternation since the Hermes was entirely navy blue, so instead they settled with painting just their chest armour and limbs; rose pink for the Brunhild and sky blue for the Jabberwock. Laura also joined their flights to test the Orthrus' new Solar equipment and it was all monitored by representatives from the R&D division, who additionally examined the Gundam and the relics they had found.

In the end, the Solar and VR relics were shipped back to the division's lab, but Laura had been allowed to keep the Orthrus for the upcoming mission – much to her relief. She wouldn't be able to fight the Scarlet Wolf without it.

"Names aside, don't get too cocky with your new suits," she lectured them, somewhat hypocritically. "We've had lots of time to prepare, but so has Vega Aurelia and her Space Puppies – be ready for anything."

"We don't want to hear that from you, Blonde Hellhound," Freya pointed out with a smirk and was followed up by Alice.

"You're starting to sound like the demon commander, Laura."

"Take that back!" the technopath cried, only to join their laughter.

"Well, LIRA has a star map too, so we'll run into them sooner or later in the ZU," said Junko, before she put up her fists and her eyes sparkled. "But I'm more interested in the relics we'll find – they've been so amazing so far! And if we're going planet-hopping, that means we'll finally get to see the full power of the Lionheart's Pion Engine! Did you know? Not only can it provide thrust for combat and propulsion for long distance travel, it can use small amounts of metallic hydrogen for rocket fuel and blast us out of an atmosphere at escape velocity, all in a matter of…!"

The technology wiz had to cut her excited explanation short when the ship's intercom came on and they heard the imposing voice of Commander Gabriel.

"Attention crew. The ZU Militia has been sighted and will be escorting the Lionheart and the First Fleet on our relic hunt through the Zodiac System," she informed them. "As such, the commander of the militia fleet will be boarding the Lionheart for discussions and I expect any available officers to be present at the hanger bay when they arrive. That means you, Team Orthrus."

The intercom turned off and the orphans shivered before they quickly made for the door.

"Wait, the ZU Militia?" Laura stopped them. "Not the Navy?"

.

* * *

.

The ZU Navy, or ZUN, was the Union's sole but respectable fleet of Naga-class cruisers which were reportedly stationed at the planet of Arcturus, the resting place of the Dragon Ark and headquarters of the Union, where its chancellor resided. So, it was with great surprise when Admiral Barton informed Turner and Milos that ZUN would guide them through the ZU as part of President Winter's arrangement with Chancellor Zhou. This was unusual, considering the Union was neutral in the Lemurian Conflict and presumably would not want to show favouritism to either side, but as military men they had to trust their leaders had done their political homework and officially it was a joint military exercise to combat space piracy.

However, the fleet before them did not consist of Naga-class cruisers, but smaller Gladiator-class destroyers – obsolete RDF ships sold to the Union by Rem a decade ago – and were eight in number. They had been repainted khaki green and gold, the colours of the ZU, and the Union motif of the turquoise dragon was also branded on their hulls. They were led by a ninth ship, an impressive jade cruiser with a pincer-shaped bow, and it was this vessel that informed the RDF Fleet they were the ZU Militia.

"Just what the hell is going on?" Milos whispered, watching as the hangar bay prepared for their guests. The leader of the militia fleet had promised to explain the sudden escort change in person, but the captain had a security team on hand just in case.

"Calm down, son," Admiral Turner, who spoke from the Baselard on Milos' PDA, reassured the man. "None of us are experts in ZU politics, but my gut tells me something has changed since President Winters made her deal."

Though the rear admiral was technically in charge of the expedition and the remnants of the First Fleet, which now numbered only eight operational ships after its defeat at Lemuria destroyed twenty and damaged twelve, he followed the lead of the Relic Hunter Division. This was why the Militia leader was meeting them on the Lionheart and not the Baselard, since planning the relic hunt would be much better served there.

"Captain, they're here," Sofia informed Milos, and he put the PDA in his front pocket so Turner could watch.

A large section of the hangar floor slid open to reveal a deep shaft and a green transport shuttle emerged from the airlock elevator. Members of the Lionheart's crew gathered up on the gallery to watch, including the orphans and Ray, who discussed the newcomers with interest.

"This isn't a ruse, is it?" Laura asked, keeping an eye on their precious mobiles suits along with Freya and Alice. "They say they're the Militia, but that fleet is a little bit…"

"Out of date?" Ray finished for her. "It does feel more like a rickety old pirate outfit rather than a military fleet, but I seriously doubt pirates could get their hands on so many Gladiators."

"Do you think they're pirates?" Junko ventured with excitement. "They do say some of the ZU Militia are former pirates!"

"Look, they're coming out," Freya pointed, and the gallery went quiet.

The first to exit the shuttle was an athletic woman with dark skin and hair, which was dyed with red streaks and braided into locks on one side and shaved on the other. By her confident gait and easy smile, she appeared to be the leader of the boarding party and the stares coming from the gallery did not intimidate her in the least. She was followed out by two young men and one woman, who were of similar age to the orphans, and the young woman particularly caught their attention because of her emerald eyes.

"Laura," Alice gasped, touching her friend's shoulder and the blonde nodded.

"She looks like Tully…"

The Militia did not appear to have a standard uniform because the quartet dressed in a colourful variety of civilian clothing; in fact, the only thing they shared was the turquoise armbands they each wore. The woman with braided locks was especially fashionable, sporting tight black leggings, knee-high boots, and a gothic red coat which she wore over a white dress shirt and black waist coat. If one were to watch Sofia's expression, they would have witnessed it collapse with horror.

"Captain Hartmann?" the woman greeted Milos with a salute and introduced herself. "Zora Adesina, captain of the Ganymede and commander of the ZU Militia."

"Captain Adesina," Milos returned the salute. "Welcome aboard the Lionheart. We were told to expect the ZU Navy, so you can imagine our surprise to run into the Militia."

"Aha, I know what you must be thinking… they must be pirates! Who else would fly those rusty old Gladiators?" Zora shouted up to the gallery with good humour and earned quite a few laughs in return. "Indeed, the Militia might be a ragtag group and rough around the edges, but I can promise you this – we're staunch anti-LIRA fighters and I dare say we hate them as much as you Remians! Down to their bones!"

The gallery erupted with cheers and Zora ate it up with a grin, giving a sour-faced Sofia a wink when she saw the XO staring with disapproval.

"I see we're going to get along just fine, captain," said Milos, who managed not to join in with the ovation by coughing into his hand. "Why don't we continue this discussion in the Lionheart's strategy room?"

"Please, call me Zora. You've probably guessed already, but we don't stand on ceremony in the Militia," said Zora, blatantly smiling at Sofia, before gesturing to her three subordinates. "And I hope you don't mind, but I brought the Militia's best technopaths and pilots with me – I thought it would be good for them to see the workings of an actual military ship and, perhaps, learn from its trained technopathic pilots. I imagine they'll be working together on relic hunts."

"That can be arranged," said Sofia, who gestured for the orphans to come down, and introduced herself. "Commander Sofia Gabriel, the Lionheart's XO."

"Charmed, I'm sure," Zora responded, looking the woman up and down with a lusty gaze, and Sofia resisted the urge to kick the Zodian back into her shuttle.

.

* * *

.

While the three militiamen were left with Team Orthrus, Milos and Sofia lead Zora to the Lionheart's strategy room, where they could converse in private. The room was notable for its large hologram table and monitors on each wall, one of which Milos activated and Admiral Turner appeared on-screen to join the discussions.

"Well, Zora, I think we'd like to hear your explanation. Where is the ZU Navy?" Turner got straight to the point, after their introduction had been made.

"Back on Arcturus, where they always are. Useless swine!" Zora almost spat the insult with a scowl. "I only heard about this arrangement between our countries at the last moment when they pushed us to go. In fact, I don't think ZUN ever intended to come meet your fleet."

"Why do you say that?" asked Milos.

"I don't know how much you know about what goes on in the ZU, but for the last ten years LIRA's Fourth Fleet has operated here with impunity. They harass and kill our people, bullying Union planets until they accept whatever demands they have – if they ask at all," the Zodian's harsh words were laced with pure hatred and she had to pause to compose herself. "That's why I formed the Militia – to stand up to them with those who were brave enough. But we are too few, spread out, and outgunned. By the time we arrive at a razed settlement or hear a junker ship's distress signal, the curs are long gone."

"That's outrageous…!" Sofia whispered, angry on her behalf. "Does the Union or ZUN not intervene?"

"Those lily-livered politicians only care about neutrality, Arcturus, and their own skins – never the other Union planets. They constantly dismiss the evidence and witnesses, and instead they blame pirates, accidents, misadventure… or sometimes the Militia itself," Zora recounted with thinly veiled disgust. "Even when we do manage to catch them in the act, LIRA is smart enough to either disguise their colours or hire someone else to do their dirty work. The former is some sort of special ops squad we've once traced back to the Tempest – the flagship of the Reaper himself."

"The Reaper…" Admiral Turner repeated the name of the infamous general of LIRA's Fourth Fleet with concern. "Why? What does he have to gain by committing all these atrocities?"

The news of the LIRA general's presence sent a chill down the rear admiral's spine – and for good reason.

Ten years ago in 296AC, at the Second Battle for Lemuria, the discovery of the lost planet and its relics five years previous had led to the advent of beam technology and, with it, a new level of carnage for the conflict. While the RDF's hulking Knight-class battleships had kept LIRA's fleet at bay using their superior cannon range, one ship had broken through and demonstrated Rem's folly for neglecting research into mobile suits and smaller beam tech by releasing the perfect combination – the Warg mobile suits. After that bloodiest of battles had ended, Turner learned the grim moniker of Leonidas Cypher, who had both captained that lone ship and helped develop the Wargs. Having faced the Reaper on the battlefield himself, the admiral knew he was not one for random acts of violence – everything Cypher did was calculated.

Unbeknownst to the other three, Sofia tensed at the mention of the Reaper and clutched her arms, squeezing them tight before forcing herself to relax.

"We don't know exactly why – on the surface it appears LIRA is terrorising Union members so they can get favourable trade terms and resources for Lux, but some of their actions make no sense," Zora answered the admiral with a shake of her head. "For example, they make incursions even on pro-Lux planets and the Fourth Fleet has gone over nearly every inch of the ZU as if they're searching for something… and wherever they've been, people go missing. It's not unheard of for whole villages to disappear overnight after the Reaper passes them, usually in remote outposts that have no political or military value…"

The Militia leader bit her thumb in frustration and the RDF officers shared her confusion and distress.

"Anyway… that's the gist of the ZU's state of affairs," Zora finished with a sigh. "You've probably guessed, but I suspect the reason they sent the Militia instead is because the Navy and Chancellor Zhou already made an arrangement with Lux too."

"So, they're trying to have the best of both worlds and stay neutral at the same time?" Milos grunted, unsure if he should be impressed or appalled.

"And the Militia isn't exactly friends with any of those buzzards on Arcturus," Zora added, almost proudly. "They'd be glad to be rid of us if fighting starts – especially me."

"I wasn't expecting a cake walk in the ZU, but this is worse than I anticipated…" said Turner, and he stroked his bushy white beard in thought. "Is it too late to contract Rem on the QEC relay and ask for instructions?"

"The next time the Gate will open is another week to receive our mission update, admiral," Sofia explained. "But even then, we would be delayed another week waiting for an answer – more, with less relay points on our side."

"Then we must act on our own initiative," Milos declared. "We can't let LIRA get a head start on us – the relic hunt must continue."

"I agree – and for what it's worth these circumstances just might be the best outcome possible for the RDF," Zora grinned, and put one hand on her hip. "No one else knows the ZU better than the Militia – we come from every corner and know every route and planet inside out. If there's a relic out there, we'll find it for you."

The RDF officers gave each other cursory glances and the agreement was unanimous. With a nod of his head, Milos gave Sofia his consent and the XO activated the hologram table. While not a technopath, Sofia operated the console with ease and a column of bright blue light touched the ceiling before transforming into two holographic maps – a 3D representation of the Zodiac system and the star map.

"This is the star map we found inside a relic on Lemuria's moon, Lenos. We believe it shows the co-ordinates of six relics within the Zodiac system," the commander explained, before merging the two maps together. "Accounting for planetary orbits since the Lemurian Cataclysm three centuries ago, when we hypothesise the map was made, we theorise the relics to be at these points."

Zora leaned forward and scanned the red dots on the hologram with inquisitive brown eyes.

"I know these co-ordinates… most are on planets I've visited before on the Ganymede – the Militia can guide you through them and negotiate with the locals," she nodded, fascinated by the map. "In fact, if we trace the most straightforward route through these points, it is remarkably similar to the one the Dragon Ark supposedly took after the Cataclysm – it even ends on Arcturus."

"So that's our route," Milos nodded, satisfied, and the dots were joined by a red line as Sofia already plotted a course. "What about LIRA? Do you have a prediction on their route? We have good reason to believe they also possess a star map."

"Well, we know the Fourth Fleet just arrived back after resupplying at Elsinore Base and, as you know, the two Gates in the ZU orbit the edges of the system on opposite ends," Zora gestured at the hologram and attempted to answer the captain's question. "While they could start at either end of the route… my guess is they'll head to Arcturus first. Starting from our end would take them too far out of the way, especially from their supply points, and, if they've deciphered this star map as well as you, the Reaper may not want to risk a confrontation without a way of retreat. We'll lose some relics, but hey – we can just take them when we meet and beat LIRA in the middle?"

"Spoken like a true pirate," Admiral Turner nodded and smiled, impressed. "So, Zora, what is our first destination?"

"The planet of water – Undine," she informed them, pointing at the closest set of co-ordinates to the Lionheart. "I hope your ships and mobile suits are seaworthy."

"Uh…" Milos started, grimacing. "Knight-class battleships can't even fly in an atmosphere, let alone get back into space without a mass driver. The Lionheart is atmospheric capable and can re-enter space on its own power, but…"

"…Neither it nor its mobile suits have been cleared for seaworthiness – above or below water," Sofia answered for the captain and sighed heavily. "This is obviously a large oversight on the part of the RDF."

Zora let out a hearty laugh and the RDF officers felt their cheeks heat with embarrassment.

"More like massive cockup!" she ribbed them, before the Zodian breathed out a lengthy sigh and tempered her glee. "Luckily for you the Ganymede can both float on water and submerge and our Raijuu mobile suits can easily switch to underwater equipment. We may not look like much, but never say the Militia isn't prepared for anything in the ZU."

"Yes… we do appreciate your assistance, Zora," Admiral Turner thanked her with a tug of his cap.

"I just need a few things from you first…" Zora smirked, and threw up her hands when she felt Sofia's red eyes narrow on the flamboyantly dressed woman with suspicion. "Oh, don't misunderstand, Sofia! I merely refer to the Militia's lack of reliable relic detection instruments… and I believe I have the perfect solution."

.

* * *

.

While their superiors held discussions on the ZU relic hunt, Team Orthrus took the militiamen to the Lionheart's mess, but as soon as they got a table the temperature plummeted. The Rem and Zodiac pilots were divided down the middle and sat on opposite sides of the long bench, engaged in some kind of social standoff. Ray had a good inkling of why the orphans hated 'flyboys', having been one himself until his loss to the Scarlet Wolf, but this was childish – especially since they kept glancing at the Militia's sole female pilot with interest.

As the oldest one there, Ray took it upon himself to get the ball rolling and after managing to get Team Orthrus to introduce themselves it was the Militia's turn.

"…Sheeban al-Bahar."

The young man with crossed arms curtly spoke his name before saying no more and closed his eyes. Although Sheeban had a thin build, he looked far from frail and had the manner of an iceberg with a stony expression to match. Wearing a wrinkled steel blue shirt, fingerless gloves and laced boots, he appeared to be the most disciplined and soldier-like out of the trio and had an unusual streak of white hair running down his black fringe.

"Sheeban is our ace," the second man explained, a tanned and strapping youth with short fiery red hair and a sour look permanently etched on his face. "My name is Ignacio Marques and I'm a pilot in the Militia too.

Despite the chill of outer space, Ignacio wore a tattered, sleeveless orange shirt that showed off what appeared to be tribal tattoos and bangles on his toned arms. The Zodian's dark and wary eyes scanned the row of strangers before they settled on the meek girl beside him.

"Oh, um… I'm Shoshanna Chandra… b-but everyone calls me Shana," she began, obviously nervous to be speaking in front of so many people and clutched her hands underneath the table. "They made me a pilot in the Militia because I'm a technopath, but… but I'm not very good at fighting. At least, not compared to Sheeban and Na… Ignacio…"

Shana paused when she noticed all the eyes watching her from across the table and suddenly clammed up with embarrassment. The slim woman hunched over and stared at the table, perhaps expecting her long hair to fall and cover her reddened cheeks, only to gather the wayward midnight tresses in her arms when they floated away. She glanced up as she did, revealing striking emerald orbs which matched her close-fitting tunic, before looking down again.

Having met Shana and her timid bearing up close, her resemblance to Tully only stood out more and Laura found herself openly gawking. Although they had different skin shades – Tully having been quite pale compared to Shana's beautiful bronze – if Tully had grown her mousy hair long, she and Shana might look like sisters of a kind. The Gundam pilot desperately wanted to talk to her but couldn't find the words – and before she could, someone else broke the awkward silence.

"So, which one of you is the White Hellhound?" Ignacio asked, sounding more hostile than curious. "I know it's one of you – this is the RDF relic hunter ship, right?"

Laura didn't know whether she should be pleased or not hearing that news of the White Hellhound had already reached the Zodiac Union.

"Jack…?" Junko guessed, only to realise the junker boy probably had no friends considering his glowing personality.

"No, Jill," Freya whispered back. "Definitely Jill and her big mouth…"

"I am," Laura answered, looking Ignacio right in the eyes. "Got a problem?"

"Huh. No… I just never expected you to be a girl," said Ignacio, before he sneered at them. "I guess all those rumours about you being a hotshot were total hogwash. I bet you're just playing war with your big new toy, like you're on some shopping trip with your girlfriends."

"Nacho!" Shana's jaw dropped, appalled.

"What the hell, asshole?" Freya seethed and slammed the table. "You have no idea what we've been through!"

"I know a bunch of weaklings when I see 'em," Ignacio grinned, shameless and undeterred, and motioned as if shooing them away. "Why don't you run on home and bake some cookies? Leave the war to some real men."

Team Orthrus was just about ready to leap across the table and tear Ignacio a new one but a lone voice managed to keep the peace.

"Stop it, Nacho."

Sheeban's eyes were still closed but the order was enough to burst Ignacio's bubble and he stared at his fellow Zodian, shocked.

"But Ban!" he cried. "You know they deserve everything they get!"

"Ban? Nacho? Bancho? Oh my…" Alice, upon hearing their nicknames, let her imagination take off.

"Not now, Alice…" Laura whispered, before she gave the militiaman a piece of her mind. "I don't know why you're trying to pick a fight, but we're not falling for it – we don't need to prove ourselves to you."

"Why? Because you've been fighting the Scarlet Wolf?" Ignacio snorted. "Yeah, I heard all about it – that, and everything else that happens in your Lemurian Conflict. It's all you Remians and Luxites talk about, as if the Zodiac Union doesn't exist. Well, newsflash – the Militia has been fighting LIRA for years and we've been doing it without your help!"

"You ungrateful brute!" Freya snapped at him. "We come here with our fleet to help you fight LIRA and this how you treat us?!"

"But why only now?!" Ignacio shouted back, almost pained, and gestured around him. "You RDF with your fancy ships, advanced technology and unlimited supplies. Meanwhile, we have to choose between three square meals a day and buying new weapons so we can fight – weapons which are usually leftovers from your war! And when we ask the Rem government for the funding and help ours won't give us, they blow us off – until now! Where the hell were you when we needed you?!"

The furious Zodian stunned the Remians with his tirade and slammed the table several times with heavy blows. Ignacio only stopped when Shana gently touched his shoulder and the militiaman hunched over and gritted his teeth.

"…The only reason you're here now is because you want our relics," Ignacio whispered, as his lips trembled with spite. "If only you had come sooner…"

Speechless, the orphans looked at each other and the mess' atmosphere had gone from frosty, to heated, and back to subzero again. They could only guess what the Militia had gone through against LIRA's superior forces, something the RDF also struggled with and they had greater numbers, but loss and powerlessness in the face of war were feelings they understood all too well. The problem was they also knew there was nothing they could say to ease his pain – so instead, Laura just spoke the truth.

"You're right… we do want your relics," she began, which earned Ignacio's attention along with his ireful gaze. "It's a self-serving reason and the RDF would never have come otherwise… but we're here now. You can either cry about the past you can't change or take control of the present you have… and carve out a better future. Which is it going to be, Ignacio Marques?"

For a moment, the Zodian glowered at Laura, before his eyes closed and a soft chuckle escaped his lips.

"…That's a stupid question, Hellhound," Ignacio said, and from the faint glow in his eyes he perhaps finally recognised something they had in common as soldiers. "I think you already know the answer."

"Then we'll do it together," Laura nodded.

"Yeah, let's kick LIRA's ass!" Junko suddenly interrupted and they all burst out with laughter before a voice shouted over them.

"Wait a second!" Freya demanded, arms crossed. "Nacho, or whatever your name is, don't think we're all buddy-buddy now just because Laura made a nice speech – you still haven't apologised for running your mouth before!"

"Huh? Why the hell should I do that?!" Ignacio shot back, belligerent as ever. "You can't tell me what to do, rich girl!"

"R-Rich?" Freya stammered, although she actually looked kind of pleased. "It's basic manners! What the hell is with you flyboys from the ZU?!"

Alice giggled, while Laura and the others sighed, except for Sheeban for whom indifference appeared to be his default setting.

"Give it a rest, you two…" Laura mediated to no avail until Ray spoke up.

"Well, we're all pilots here, so why don't we settle things the only way we know how?"

.

* * *

.

It took a second for everyone to catch on to what Ray was talking about, but once they did Freya and Ignacio agreed in a heartbeat. Before they knew it the gathering of RDF and ZU pilots had moved to the simulator room where the Diva and Nacho challenged each other to a duel of virtual combat. Fortunately, Junko kept an updated list of different mobile suits along with their customisable specs, 3D models and equipment, which allowed Ignacio to pilot his modified Raijuu.

"A Raijuu? Pfft!" Freya made her condescending attitude quite clear from the outset. "Hey Junko, you better load up my old Garm, because I actually want this fight to last more than ten seconds."

"You'll eat those words, rich girl – my Raijuu will fly circles around your Garm!" Ignacio crowed with bravado, until he entered his simulator unit and the Zodian's nose twitched with revulsion. "Hey, is it me or does this simulator smell like barf…?"

"Um, it's just you…" Ray lied, and the lids of the simulators dropped closed before they hummed with power and the duel began.

The main screen showed various camera angles of the action, along with the perspectives of Freya and Ignacio's monitors, and the pair appeared to be evenly matched. Ignacio's smaller and lighter Raijuu was certainly quicker and more agile, but it lacked firepower and Freya easily absorbed the shots from his beam rifle with her shield. The Pink Diva would have probably been troubled a month ago, but thanks to Ray's advice she stayed patient and it appeared her victory was only a matter of time.

While Junko and Ray watched the duel with interest, Alice badgered a taciturn Sheeban with questions about his and Nacho's relationship and Laura saw Shana was finally alone.

"Shana…" the blonde started, only to stop when she realised she didn't know what to say next.

"Laura… right?" Shana responded, smiling. "It's nice to see them finally getting along, isn't it?"

"Huh? Oh, them?" Laura followed the girl's emerald gaze to the large screen, where Freya and Ignacio's duel had devolved into a metal-knuckled fistfight. "Well, deep down, they're sort of birds of a feather… not that they'll ever admit it."

Shana covered her mouth and giggled, a soft and melodious sound much like Tully's.

"I hope you can forgive Nacho for all the rude things he said," she pleaded with her big eyes. "I'm sure he didn't mean any of it; he was just upset. Nacho and Ban are actually really nice – ever since I joined the Militia, they've watched over me like older brothers."

"It's okay, I don't mind anymore," Laura assured her. "And I was going to ask – I was worried since you were the only girl, but I'm relieved to hear the Firecracker and Snowman over there aren't always like that."

"Firecracker and Snowman? That's so true…!" Shana giggled again, delighting Laura. "They're the Militia's best pilots, especially Ban, but I just can't compare even though I'm a technopath too."

"Well, maybe I can give you some pointers," the Gundam pilot offered and grinned when the Zodian's emerald eyes lit up. "We can't have any flyboys looking down on us female pilots and they don't call me the White Hellhound for nothing."

"Wow, a private lesson with the famous White Hellhound? Yes, please!" Shana exclaimed playfully and the two girls laughed. "It's so nice to finally talk with a girl my own age – half of the Ganymede's crew is female, but they're all older than me and I don't really interact with them apart from Zora."

"Your captain?" Laura recalled the flamboyant-looking woman and her red coat. "She looked kind of cool. What's she like as a captain?"

"Zora is… Zora," Shana struggled to explain and pursed her lips. "I don't know how a captain is meant to be, but she's like a big sister. Isn't that how it is on your ship?"

While Milos was both captain and family, for some reason the first thought that came to Laura's mind was Sofia, the demon commander with her endless drills and lectures about regulations.

"Laura?"

"Sorry… I was just thinking about the question…"

That was when the door to the simulator room hissed open and the odd pair of Sofia and Zora floated through. While Laura and the others saluted on instinct, Shana rushed over to her captain like a puppy.

"Zora!" she cried and smiled at the sight of the older woman.

"Shana!" Zora grinned and threw an arm around the girl. "Playing nice with your new friends?"

The display of familiarity caught the others off guard, but it made sense considering the ragtag nature of the Militia and Laura thought she felt a pang of envy. However, a certain aghast commander had no such feelings of sentimentality and decided to make her views known.

"Ahem… Captain Adesina," Sofia caught her attention with a loud cough. "If you do not mind my saying, perhaps you should refrain from being so familiar with your pilots."

"Hah! Don't sweat it, Sofia!" Zora threw her head back and laughed. "We're not so hung up on rank or discipline in the Militia."

Sofia's red eyes twitched, and the orphans thought she was going to bite Zora's head off.

"Captain Adesina…" Sofia spoke slowly and kept her tone amazingly civil. "I would prefer it if you did not use my first name in front of my subordinates and referred to me as Commander Gabriel instead."

"Oh?" Zora's dark eyes twinkled. "So, it's fine in private?"

If the demon commander could grow a pair of horns and gore the Militia leader with them, she probably would have, but gave the grinning Zodian an icy glare instead. Meanwhile, fearing an explosive fallout, the orphans and Ray gathered in the corner of the room to escape the tension – and share their awe.

"Balls of steel…!" Laura whispered.

"Gundanium…!" cried Junko.

"Ovaries…!" Alice corrected them.

"No slap? Come on…!" Ray murmured, only for Sofia to whip her head around with pin-point accuracy and silence them with laser-like eyes.

A jingle cut through atmosphere and they turned to find the lids of the simulator units opening. On-screen, Freya's battered Garm stood triumphant over the dismembered remains of Ignacio's Raijuu.

"Hah! Take that, flyboy!" A smirking, if breathless, Freya emerged from the simulator and hollered with glee. "Chalk one up for Team Orthrus!"

"Damn it! I would have won if it wasn't for this simulator… it reeks!" Ignacio grumbled and shook his fist. "Ban, you've got to get revenge for me – for Team Banshee!"

Sheeban just ignored his teammate from his corner of the room and when the warring pair finally noticed they had company Freya's arm shot up to salute faster than humanly possible.

"Team Banshee?" Alice said aloud, before putting two and two together. "Sheeban?"

"It's the Militia's nickname for Ban," Shana confirmed.

"I didn't pick the name…" Sheeban answered for once, sounding somewhat displeased.

"Eh, so your team is named after you? You must be some ace, Banshee," Laura softly goaded him, feeling competitive all of a sudden. "I'm the White Hellhound, but our team is only named after my Orthrus."

"I believe I prefer that to Team Hellhound," Alice piped in.

"Yeah, I can already hear the jokes about us being a pack of–"

"–Bitches, was it, Valstein?" Sofia finished for Freya, who nodded with a gulp and relived her trauma. The diva had no idea why, but the demon commander was livid today.

"I was really looking forward to a match in the simulator with you, Sheeban, but I guess it will have to wait until next time," Laura finished with a smirk and gauged the Zodian's reaction, but he didn't even blink – in fact, it was Laura who was left blinking.

"Actually, that match might come sooner than you think, ensign," Sofia gave her star pilot the news. "As of now, you've been temporarily transferred to the Ganymede."

"…W-W-What?!" Laura shouted, after a delayed reaction, along with the others. "But why?!"

"Because the Ganymede lacks relic detection equipment," Zora explained, thoroughly enjoying the look on Laura's face. "Which the Orthrus not only possesses, but its Lemurian design is also likely to function underwater – as your scientists have so theorised."

"Our destination, Undine, is a planet of water," Sofia clarified. "The Orthrus will search for and guide Team Banshee to the relic and, if necessary, absorb the relic's data into its core should retrieval be impractical. Hence, for the purposes of this operation, you and the Gundam will stay aboard the Ganymede to train with its pilots and crew."

"Pardon me, ma'am, but is it wise to just hand the Orthrus over to a foreign ship – allies though they may be?" Ray questioned and earned himself a dirty glare from Ignacio.

"Yeah! What about maintenance? Not anyone can just touch the Orthrus, you know!" Junko added, puffing her cheeks out. "It's not fair Laura gets to frolic on some beach in her bathing suit!"

"A suitable maintenance unit from the Lionheart will be going with the Orthrus – but not you, Kodama, you're needed here," said Sofia, who ignored the mechanic's pouting. "And there are no beaches on Undine; it is entirely ocean according to Captain Adesina, which is why only the Ganymede will be entering its atmosphere. Unlike the Lionheart, it is already proven to be seaworthy and can submerge should the need arise."

"Same with our Raijuu with the right equipment! They're a lot more versatile than your fat Garms, heh," Ignacio smugly declared and shot his next barb at Laura. "Looks like you're apart of Team Banshee now, Hellhound – don't forget your favourite chew toy!"

The young man threw his head back and laughed hysterically, but all Laura and her friends could do was grit their teeth and bear it.

"I'll make a chew toy out of you…" the Gundam pilot hissed under her breath.

"Oh, Laura! It will be wonderful to have you aboard the Ganymede!" Shana grabbed her hand and exclaimed, perhaps not quite realising the gravity of the situation for her new friend.

"Yes, it will be an honour to have the White Hellhound, the bane of LIRA, as our guest," Zora chimed in and threw her arms around both Shana and the petrified ace. "We must celebrate the occasion tonight with a feast!"

Laura found herself staring blankly into space, as if her brain was still processing the information, and scanned the numerous faces around her for help before settling on Sofia.

"Don't look at me, ensign…" the unsympathetic commander threw her hands up in air. "Admiral Turner and Captain Hartmann already gave their approval… so I advise you to suck it up."

"Milos…!" Laura clenched her fist and cursed her adoptive father.

As if that betrayal wasn't enough, when the Militia members left the room Sheeban paused at the door and proved he wasn't entirely above payback.

"Looks like you got your wish, Hellhound," he said in a matter-of-fact monotone before leaving. "Lucky you."

When the door closed, a furious Laura finally grabbed her head and let out a shriek of frustration.

.

* * *

.

After spending a month at Elsinore Base for resupply and repairs, LIRA's Fourth Fleet returned to the Zodiac Union to continue the relic hunt with the Blue Crow. Although the stealth vessel had started the hunt, the reinforcement of the ten-strong fleet meant General Leonidas Cypher was now in command and the Reaper made it clear the independence the Crow had enjoyed before was now over and they were to submit to his complete authority. Aside from the Blue Crow another Crow-class ship, the Paris, joined the expedition just as they passed through the Gate to the ZU – and it brought with it some rather welcome additions.

"Lady Vega!"

The voice echoing throughout the hangar bay of the Blue Crow belonged to a young woman who leapt from the doors of the Paris' recently arrived transport shuttle and into the waiting arms of the Scarlet Wolf. A full head shorter than Vega, she could have easily been mistaken for a child with her petite figure but wore the unmistakable black and white trimmed uniform of a LIRA officer. Furthermore, the Space Wolves' emblem of a wolf clutching a dagger between its jaws was proudly displayed on her shoulder.

As the newcomer threw herself at the mercy of zero-G, a golden curtain of waist-long blonde hair unfurled behind her and revealed a youthful face akin to a porcelain doll's. She had glazed marshmallow white cheeks, a delicate pair of painted pink lips, and a large feline set of ruby red eyes – all of which upturned with joy at the sight of the masked woman.

"Charlotte!" Vega cried, catching her with a grin and they floated backwards together as the girl snuggled against her chest. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it."

"How could you think that, Lady Vega?! I came as soon as I received your summons!" Charlotte pouted and craned her neck back so she could look up at her idol before her red eyes softened. "Oh, I missed you, my lady!"

Vega laughed and patted her follower on the head, whereupon Charlotte giggled like a child. Until they were rudely interrupted it was as if the pair were in their own private world.

"Lieutenant Jaeger!" Ursula, who had been watching only metres away with Luke, finally unset her grinding jaw and snapped at the blonde doll. "Unhand Major Aurelia this instant! As I have told you repeatedly, that behaviour is unseemly for a junior officer and could spoil the major's reputation!"

"Tch," Charlotte clicked her tongue upon noticing the brunette and released Vega as instructed. "Oh, if it isn't Captain Roland? I didn't see you there."

The girl smiled sweetly using her child-like features but the false visage did nothing to fool Ursula and it soon became apparent they were well acquainted.

"You very well did see me, Jaeger," Ursula growled and crossed her arms. "Just because the major scouted you personally doesn't give you the privilege to hang off of her like some… some parasite!"

"Oh my… are you jealous, captain?" Charlotte crooned, almost mimicking the Scarlet Wolf, before her polite persona fell away and she puffed her cheeks with anger. "I'm the one who should be jealous – you get to be with Lady Vega all the time! I bet you hog her all to yourself in private."

"W-W-What shameless rumours are you spreading?!" Ursula, red in the face, stuttered and steamed like a kettle. "You…you little imp!"

"I-Imp?! Are you blind, you… you old crone!?"

The pair continued to trade barbs without regard for their surroundings while Vega and Luke chuckled with amusement.

"Charming, aren't they?" the silver haired woman held a hand to her cheek and remarked.

"Yes, they get along so well," a sarcastic Luke agreed.

"Like cats and dogs, you mean."

The soft-spoken voice that joined their musings belonged to a tall man upon whom the LIRA uniform stretched tightly over his large and sturdy frame. His blue hair had been cropped short and a scar ran down the left cheek of his round and weathered face; a fearsome countenance unless one noticed the raised edge of his lips which passed for a smile. The man was the last to exit the transport along with eight others, all of whom wore the emblem of the Space Wolves, and he was not only the tallest among them but clearly the oldest.

"Lieutenant Ivanov!" Luke greeted him with a grin and they clasped hands before the giant and the other newly arrived Space Wolves saluted their masked leader.

"Pavel, everyone," Vega returned the gesture with a casual wave of her hand and scanned the squad with a smile. "I trust you all had a pleasant trip?"

"As pleasant as possible, major," said Pavel, and his male and female comrades nodded in agreement. "The Paris stopped at Elsinore to pick up their newly assigned squadron… which happened to be the reformed Team Ambion."

"That's right! We had to put up with their idiot leader until we caught up with the fleet!" Charlotte, upon hearing the mention of Team Ambion, broke away from Ursula and complained to Vega. "That pig was saying all sorts of horrible things about you to our faces, Lady Vega – I couldn't stand it anymore, so I gave him a piece of my mind, my lady!"

"You kicked the major in the back of the head and gave him a concussion…" Pavel corrected her with a sigh. "You're lucky he had memory loss."

"Humph! He's lucky I didn't walk all over his face – which I would have done if you hadn't gotten in my way, Pavel!" Charlotte sulked and began smacking the man on his chest. "Geez, why did you stop me? Pavel, you dummy!"

Pavel mouthed an inaudible apology and absorbed the playful hits without complaint and to the hilarity of the company. Unless one knew them, the unusual pair appeared more like a weary father and his tantrum-prone daughter than fellow pilots. Or a bear and a small animal, thought Luke as he masked his laughter.

"Easy there, short-stuff – Pavel probably saved you from being shipped back to Lux and separated from your precious major," the raven-haired pilot pointed out, not that it made the girl any more grateful.

"Don't call me short!" Charlotte retorted and switched targets, only for a grinning Luke to catch her tiny fist. "You're insufferable as always, Luke Valorie!"

"While I agree about Lieutenant Valorie, he also happens to be correct," Ursula joined them with a shake of her head. "Striking a superior officer and from House Ambion no less… Not even Major Aurelia's influence would have gotten you out of that one."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you, you thieving cat. You'd have Lady Vega all to yourself then!"

"I, I would not! That's a baseless accusation!"

"Girls, girls…" a smooth voice crooned and Vega wrapped her arms around the combatants, both of whom suddenly lost the power of speech. "Our fellow Space Wolves are finally here – it is a time for celebration, not argument! Won't you cease your hostilities? For me?"

Ursula and Charlotte, whose faces were flushed from ear to ear, quietly nodded and a delighted Vega hugged them even closer.

"Come, Space Wolves! To the ready room where we can regale each other with tales of recent events!" the Scarlet Wolf cried, adding, "And food and drinks are on me!"

Hearing that, the pack raised their fists and cheered before they followed their leader past the watchful eyes of the Fenrir.

.

* * *

.

The ship's ready room, which was located adjacent to the hangar bay, was a place of work where on-duty pilots would remain on standby until they were called to man their mobile suits. However, in the hands of the Space Wolves, it had been transformed into their own private clubroom complete with pinball machines, arcade cabinets, and a pool table where eating, drinking, gambling and general merrymaking was the norm and encouraged by the Scarlet Wolf herself. When Commodore Sparrhorn passed the room he often heard what sounded like a party going on behind closed doors and today was no different.

Jonas sighed and supposed, as captain, he better have another quiet word with them.

"What the hell is going on in here?!" he bellowed, almost ripping the door off its hinges, and found Major Aurelia leading the dozen-strong squad in what appeared to be a toast – albeit with straws and beverage pouches.

"Oh, commodore!" Vega exclaimed, and if she was surprised she masked it well. "We were just having a little celebration; a Space Wolves reunion if you would. Attention, everyone! You are in the presence of the Blue Crow's captain, Commodore Sparrhorn – the Lunar Fox himself."

Like well-trained hounds, the squadron saluted as one and Jonas stared between them and their smiling master before begrudgingly raising his hand to his head. As the daughter of House Aurelia had arranged, the best of the Space Wolves had been gathered on his ship for the ZU expedition and were an unusual mix of men and women. As the commodore inspected his new crew members, putting faces to the names from their files, he recalled that they were all exceptionally talented technopaths and pilots – more than worthy of catching the Scarlet Wolf's eye. Many were those overlooked or outright ostracised due to prejudices rife within LIRA, which still expected officers to be of a certain class and gender.

Jonas recognised Lieutenant Pavel Ivanov immediately and not simply owing to his size. The scarred veteran had a long and impressive service record and was an ace in his own right, but had been denied promotion for years due to his low birth – something the Lunar Fox could relate to, being of low birth himself. Having flown together with him in her early days as LIRA's ace, Ivanov was one of Vega's first recruits when she formed the Space Wolves alongside Ursula Roland and Luke Valerie.

In contrast, the petite woman beside him, Lieutenant Charlotte Jaeger, was an up-and-coming prodigy rumoured to be the next LIRA ace. However, because of her short stature and lower-class roots, she had been ridiculed by her peers – that was, until Vega saw her in flight one day and scouted her on the spot. The girl had been so grateful it was whispered she had become enamoured with the Scarlet Wolf and grown her hair long to be just like her idol, earning her the moniker of 'the Scarlet Cub'. Indeed, without prior knowledge, Jonas could have easily mistaken Jaeger for a lost child aboard his ship – but it was the crimson liquid in her transparent beverage pouch that raised his eyebrow.

"That's not wine, is it?" he asked, knowing Vega's preferred poison of choice, and Charlotte's red eyes suspiciously flickered to her leader.

"Of course not, commodore! We all know alcohol is strictly prohibited while on duty – why, we could be dismissed just for sipping it," Vega quickly came to Charlotte's rescue and bemoaned the accusation – all while making gestures behind her back for Ursula to hide her wine bottle, which the captain promptly did.

"Commodore, we were just about to drink to our fallen comrades," Luke interjected, distracting the Lunar Fox just before he spotted Ursula. "Won't you join us?"

"Ah, yes… a toast to the fallen," Jonas nodded and accepted a beverage pouch from Ursula, which he gave a discreet sniff before raising it into the air. "To the fallen Wolves."

"To the fallen Wolves," Vega and the Space Wolves held up their pouches and repeated, before slurping the receptacles dry. Jonas noticed Vega appeared to suck on her straw longer than necessary, taking a sustained draw of the red liquid and savouring it between her cheeks before swallowing with a euphoric sigh.

"Andy, Boris, and all the others…" Pavel lamented, his grey eyes downcast. "We had such high hopes for them, but they were taken away so soon."

"I fear I am to blame," Vega confessed. "I underestimated the relic hunt and thought it would be an adventurous jaunt; perfect for training our new recruits. Instead, I led them straight into the lion's den."

"It was not your fault, major," Ursula insisted. "The enemy got lucky on Lenos – if they had not discovered that relic before us…"

"Yes, those RDF relic hunters are the guilty ones, Lady Vega!" Charlotte added her voice and crushed the empty pouch in her hand, while also throwing Ursula a dirty look for getting the jump on her. "And I refuse to accept this… this Orthrus and its pilot could even hold a candle to you!"

Vega laughed and patted the girl on the head, eliciting purrs from the cub – who made sure Ursula was watching before she smirked with triumph. The captain bit her lip and snapped her straw in two, alarming those nearby.

"Thank you, Charlotte. But do not underestimate the White Hellhound," the Scarlet Wolf warned. "I would be devastated if I lost you too… you, whom I consider like my own sister."

"Oh, Lady Vega!"

While Charlotte snuggled against her idol and Ursula tried to force them apart, Pavel found Luke helping himself to more 'juice'.

"Is the Rem ace truly as dangerous as we've been led to believe?" Pavel asked the raven-haired man, curious.

"When you watch the Fenrir's footage, you'll understand – she's like a Scarlet Wolf in the making; even closer than Charlotte," Luke nodded, recalling the encounters with awe. "And her comrades are no slouches either. But we should have the edge now that the Fenrir has a Gravity Mode."

"What did I say just say about underestimating them?" Vega, having slipped away from the bickering Ursula and Charlotte, rebuked the young nobleman. "While I have managed to calibrate it for more measured displays of power, Gravity Mode is still quite taxing on the Fenrir's energy supply – and the relic's sheer complexity means I doubt we'll see any technological benefits from R&D in the near future."

Before they left Elsinore Base, members of LIRA's R&D division, who had built the Fenrir, had come to study its Gravity Mode and collect data. Since the original gravity relic had been destroyed, they downloaded its saved data from the Fenrir's relic core for research – although Vega imagined it would take their technopaths years to decipher all its secrets; she, of course, had already cracked most of it herself in the last month. If they arrived at the same conclusions she had then they should know the Fenrir's relic core could alter the properties of Gundanium, giving rise to powerful Mode Changes provided there was enough Gundanium, enough power to sustain the transformation, and a suitable relic.

Vega was sure the RDF relic hunters and their researchers had drawn the same conclusions with the Orthrus, although she highly doubted its Solar Mode could drain a battery as rapidly as Gravity Mode. The fact the Fenrir was constructed using composite Gundanium, rather than pure Gundanium as its designs specified, was probably what prevented its power supply from being instantly drained on contact – and saved the Scarlet Wolf from becoming a sitting duck. Ideally, Gravity Mode required a fission reactor – as Vega had so demonstrated on Elsinore to great fanfare – but current designs were far too large to mount on mobile suits and a reactor-powered warship would likely require eye-watering quantities of precious Gundanium to attain similar powers, not to mention the technopathic talent that would be involved to control it.

Ultimately though, LIRA's predictable attempts to weaponise the gravity relic would be pointless in light of one major obstacle – the lack of relic cores, which were the key to Mode Change. Fortunately, however, of the two known cores in existence, Vega was already in possession of the only one with Gravity Mode; not that the Scarlet Wolf would allow anyone but she and the Fenrir to use it. No, this power was hers to monopolise; a spotlight that would serve to enhance her legend in the eyes of the world… and when the time came they would know her name.

"Complexity? Benefits? You do recall you used it to host a barbeque, don't you?"

The voice of Luke interrupted Vega's thoughts, but not from the growing curve on her red lips.

"Yes, I heard! It's not fair you all had a party without us!" Charlotte joined them and pouted with a puff of her marshmallow cheeks. "I want to eat barbeque too!"

Vega let out a hearty laugh, which only caused the petite girl's cheeks to swell even more.

"Perhaps we can have another one on the Blue Crow, using its reactor?" the masked woman ventured, meeting eyes with Commodore Sparrhorn across the room, only to receive a disapproving head shake. "…Or perhaps not."

"Of course not," Ursula narrowed her eyes at the very suggestion. "General Cypher would have our hides if he found out."

"You mean our souls…" Luke quipped and sipped his drink.

"Yes, speaking of the Reaper…" Vega began, and made sure she had every Space Wolves' attention. "While I was able to give a detailed briefing on the threat we face from the RDF relic hunters and the White Hellhound, my knowledge of our new allies was less than satisfactory. Perhaps you could be of assistance here, commodore?"

The attention of the room went over to Jonas, who supped his straw and made them wait.

"…There isn't much to tell," he finally said. "General Cypher and his Fourth Fleet are a bit of an enigma in LIRA – the fleet acts independently in the ZU and only the Reaper is privy to their full capabilities. However, I did happen to see the fleet's resupply log and they were filled with… unusual items."

"We saw them loading strange equipment onto the Paris when we stopped at Elsinore – remember, Pavel?" Charlotte revealed and cocked her head. "They were not like any mobile suit equipment I've ever seen before…"

"Some old buddies of mine who served in the Fourth said much the same thing – the Reaper has an obsession with experimental tech and the ZU is his testing grounds," said Luke, who was well-connected due to his family's military service. "They also say he has a private squad of masked followers to do his dirty work, but no one knows where they come from. He calls them his Team Hypnos… Creepy stuff, really."

"Those rumours have been floating around for years now… since the general was reassigned to the ZU ten years ago," Pavel, the only one besides Jonas who had been serving long enough to remember that far back, informed them and reminisced. "However, I do not believe he was always so… unorthodox."

"That's putting it lightly…" Charlotte joked and wrapped her thin arms around herself. Like the others, the Reaper gave her the chills.

"Yes, this intrigues me. Why was the Reaper reassigned to the ZU? As commander of the First Fleet, he had just fought a successful campaign against Rem in the Second Battle of 296," Vega pondered aloud, and turned to the only man who might know. "Commodore?"

Jonas grumbled and rolled his lips, like he was about to say something he might regret.

"First of all, you never heard this from me… and these are just rumours… but," the Lunar Fox began with a stroke of his whiskers and the Space Wolves leaned in to listen. "After the success of beam technology in the Second Battle for Lemuria, General Leonidas Cypher pushed for an increase in LIRA's relic hunting activities… but in the Zodiac Union."

"Well, that's not unreasonable considering what we know now," Ursula whispered, only for the commodore to shake his head.

"Wait until you hear his logic, captain," Jonas told her. "The Reaper's reasoning for such a move, based on reports he had compiled when he was a member of the Intelligence Division… all revolved around local superstitions – the myths and the occult of the ZU."

"W-W-What?!" Charlotte exclaimed, along with the rest of the wide-eyed Wolves, and she grabbed on to Vega's arm in fright. The masked woman however, looked positively amused.

"Quite mad, was he?" she quipped, smiling.

"Manic, as it were. He was obsessed with the possibility the legends and unexplained phenomena in the ZU were actually the work of Lemurian relics," Jonas continued, scarcely believing it himself. "Well, LIRA High Command laughed in his face, as expected, and the general had a falling out with everyone else. Eventually they decided that, if he wanted to go to the ZU backwater that badly, the Reaper should get his wish and they made him commander of the Fourth Fleet. It was their way of getting rid of him and with little fuss. However, it seems he's been making the most of his fall from grace."

"Indeed. Thank you, Commodore Sparrhorn. That was most… enlightening," Vega remarked, and the hint of mischief in her tone was not missed by the Lunar Fox.

"Remember, not a word of this to anyone," Jonas reminded them, mustering his voice with authority. "The Reaper might be a coldblooded maniac with the charisma of a cadaver, but he's still an excellent fleet commander – there will be no insubordination towards him while we are a part of the Fourth Fleet. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," the room chorused, albeit in a somewhat unconvinced monotone.

"By the way, Major Aurelia, I've been meaning to ask… but what in God's name are you wearing?"

Vega followed Jonas' gaze and settled on the new flight suit she was wearing – which was almost entirely red, except for some black highlights. It also happened to have her name printed on the chest and the Space Wolves' emblem on the shoulders.

"Oh, this? It's my new combat g-suit; specially ordered straight from Nova Industries," she boasted with a flip of her silver hair and floated up towards the ceiling and posed so everyone could admire it. "As you can imagine, the strain of g-forces while piloting in Gravity Mode can be quite demanding on the body – and that's despite the mode employing what appears to be a minor inertia cancelling effect within the cockpit. I was reminded of a prototype suit I saw while modelling equipment for Nova and ordered one immediately when we reached Elsinore Base – customised to my tastes, of course. Do you like it? I was just wearing it in."

The form-fitting compression suit was made of cutting-edge synthetic fibres, which were not only flexible and strong but also insulated the wearer from space, heat and radiation. Its chief innovation, however, was the special freeze-proof g-liquid stored in the back cavity which could be dispersed throughout the suit using vein-like seams – effectively covering the wearer in water, but particularly their thighs and lungs. During high-g manoeuvres, the water would pull on the material and naturally apply counterpressure, thus constricting and controlling blood flow without delay, which would allow the pilot to endure more gs and reduce the risk of losing consciousness.

Along with plenty of pockets, the g-suit also carried an oxygen tank and battery in the chest cavity in case the pilot was separated from their mobile suit's life support systems. All in all, Vega was very pleased with the finished product and showed it off by twirling in the air for her audience.

"You look stunning, Lady Vega!" a starstruck Charlotte cried and began taking pictures with her PDA.

"Isn't it a bit… painted on?" Ursula balked instead and her squeamish brown eyes didn't know where to look. "I guess it is very flattering… Very you, actually, major. I don't know anyone else who would be brave enough to wear that…"

"Oh, don't say that, Ursula…" Vega crooned and kicked off the ceiling so that she floated towards one of the room's storage lockers. "After all… there's enough for everyone!"

Throwing the locker door open, the masked woman began tossing out vacuum-shrunk clear-packages containing black versions of the Nova g-suit – each with a Space Wolf's name printed on the front.

"Don't push, you'll each get your due – and it will please you to know they've each been tailored to your exact sizes!" Vega cried above the cheering horde before staring directly at a bewildered Ursula. "Yes, even you Ursula!"

"H-How would you know that?" the blushing captain demanded as she snatched her package out of the air and held it tight to her chest. "And how much did all this even cost? Nova Industries makes premier equipment!"

"Details, details – do not fret, my dear Ursula," Vega cheekily pressed a finger to her cute subordinate's lips and smiled. "After all, my Space Wolves only deserve the best – and the Nova g-suit is capable of withstanding at least two more gs than our old suits!"

That drew many excited murmurs and even Ursula was silenced.

"Oh, I love you, Lady Vega!" Charlotte took advantage of the situation and declared before latching onto the masked woman's side and pushing her away from Ursula.

"Wait… what's the catch?" Luke suddenly stopped and enquired, and the entire squad paused in their gift-opening as an ominous chill took over the ready room.

"The catch…" Vega's blood-red lips took on a sadistic curve as she answered. "…is that I will be personally retraining all of you. I will be making sure everyone is taking full advantage of their shiny new gifts and are familiar with the recalibrated Wargs, which will have their limiters adjusted accordingly. Because starting now, we will leave nothing to chance – when we next meet the relic hunters in battle, we will have both our vengeance and victory!"

With an upward thrust of her gloved fist, the Scarlet Wolf led her pack in a cheer and not even her mask could disguise her passion – her hunger to fight the White Hellhound. As the Space Wolves bayed for blood, momentarily forgetting the hellish drilling their leader intended to put them through, Jonas decided to quietly slip away. When he was out the door, the Lunar Fox realised there was one obvious question Vega had not asked.

She had never asked where the Fourth Fleet and the Blue Crow were headed in the ZU.

.

* * *

.

The Tempest, the infamous flagship of General Cypher, was originally a Wyvern-class war cruiser. It still was, but over the years alterations to its design had made it almost unrecognisable and it was now known as a decrepit ghost ship worthy of the Reaper. The stories of what went on within its groaning hull froze the blood of sailors within the ZU and even the Tempest's own allies in the Fourth Fleet made the sign of warding off evil in its presence.

The LIRA crew members assigned to work aboard the Tempest had it even worse and were forced to endure the ship's phantoms: its resident bogeymen and the Reaper's special ops squad otherwise known as Team Hypnos. The faceless shades were known to be skilful technopaths and pilots and were deathly silent except for the long and laboured breathing which could be heard from behind their gas masks. They stalked the halls during the day, frightening the crew, but at night they disappeared into the belly of the ship which was off limits to all but the Reaper and his close confidantes.

"Report on the experiment."

The sonorous voice of General Cypher demanded the moment he entered the restricted area aboard the Tempest which was revealed to be a long corridor of white labs. Scores of scientists in white coats scurried about recording data and operating lab equipment while behind the glass the obedient members of Team Hypnos were strapped to chairs and hooked up to various machinery. The Reaper floated down the corridor and inspected his work before stopping at the compartment of the member of Team Hypnos with a shock of white hair coming out the back of his mask.

"Our test subjects are giving us superb data, general," one of the scientists reported. "X-131 and X-178 have responded well to the new concoction, improving their reaction times. But X-99 here has broken another record as usual."

"Excellent," Cypher, who was not one for praise, stated. "Once you're done have X-99 and his squad move to the Caliban with their Lycans."

"You expect combat, sir?" the scientist asked, revelling at the chance to collect more data.

The Reaper nodded and admired his perfect test subject from behind the glass with a glint in his dark eyes.

"Indeed."

.

* * *

.

After Laura and the Orthrus were transferred to the Ganymede, the other orphans found themselves fraught with worry and went about their duties with distraction. They had complained to Milos, of course, cornering him once he had seen his daughter off, but the captain gave much the same excuses as Sofia – and so they chased him across the Lionheart like an angry mob, giving up only when he locked himself in his cabin. Frustrated, they shot Ray down in the simulator until they were satisfied and patiently waited for the day to end. When it finally did, the orphans gathered in their quarters with jittery anticipation.

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

Laura's familiar voice graced their ears from the speakers of Junko's laptop first before her round face and striking purple eyes filled the empty screen. Her messy blonde bob was smoothed back and wet as if she had just gotten out of a shower, and like them the Gundam pilot had changed into her pyjamas. Behind her they spied what appeared to be a simple and sparse cabin for two on the Ganymede and the camera pivoted back to show the technopath was alone.

"Laura!" the three girls cried out at once, but Freya got the first question in. "Are you alright, Laura?! Those Zodians aren't picking on you, are they? Oh my god, did they touch you?!"

The diva's screams left the blonde reeling and she readjusted her PDA so it was at arm's length and stuck it to the ceiling of her padded sleeping compartment.

"I'm fine, Freya," she insisted, letting go of the device and lying back. "And no one's picking on me. If anything, Zora has been pulling out all the stops to make me feel welcome. She gave me a tour and even held a party where the whole crew must have turned up."

"Zora? Since when were you on a first-name basis with that pirate?! Don't fall for it, Laura – they're brainwashing you!" Freya yelled and, if it were possible, her face paled with even more alarm. "What about the Orthrus? You didn't let those flyboys sit in it, did you?!"

"Of course not! Even the maintenance unit has to get past my technopathic lock first!" Laura shot back and rolled her eyes. "Now can someone please give Freya a chill pill and ask me something else?"

The pinkette opened her mouth to fire back but was thwarted when Alice stuffed a large calorie bar into her orifice and the muffled diva was pulled away from the camera with arms flailing.

"So… it sounds like you're having a grand time," said Junko, who took over the frame while Alice and an obedient Freya chewed on snacks in the background and watched. "But what about the Ganymede?! What's it like? How does it work? Where did it come from? Tell me everything, Laura!"

"Oh, you won't believe this, Junko," Laura teased, and let the mechanic's chocolate orbs expand with starry-eyed anticipation. "The Ganymede… is a Lemurian ship!"

"What?!" Junko and the others squawked, and they were back to squeezing three heads inside the frame. "The Ganymede is a relic?!"

"Zora found it when she was just a girl and worked on it for years until she got it flying again – and then she used it for pirating! They called her the Hyena!" Laura explained to the rapt attention of the faces on the screen. "It's how she knew the Orthrus was sea-worthy – the Ganymede would ambush wealthy merchant ships from underneath the oceans of Arcturus before diving again to hide from the ZU Navy. That's Lemurian tech for you; they thought of everything!"

"No way… no way!" Junko squealed, and grabbed her head before it burst from excitement. "I'm so jealous of you right now, Laura! Why wasn't I part of your maintenance unit?!"

"I won't lie, the Ganymede is a pretty impressive ship. It's not as well-armed as the Lionheart, but it's fast and I get the feeling the crew are old hands. It's no wonder ZUN never managed to shoot it down and it must be a thorn in LIRA's side," Laura sung some more praises to Junko's everlasting envy. "I couldn't get much more out of Zora, but I bet the Ganymede has even more capabilities we don't know about."

"Wow… so she _was_ a pirate!" Freya exclaimed, open-mouthed.

"Most of the Militia are; they banded together to fight LIRA under Zora."

"They must really respect her," Alice stated, and Laura nodded.

"Zora's like the opposite of Commander Gabriel. She calls everyone by name, treats them like friends and they love her for it – like she said, they really don't care about military formality or discipline over here," the blonde described to them and recalled the shocking scenes of drink and rowdiness she had witnessed since coming aboard. "But I don't doubt they'll sober up and follow her orders when the time comes – they really hate LIRA."

"Sounds like you'll fit in just fine," Alice smiled. "What are you doing now?"

"I'm just relaxing after a shower… Oh yeah, these Lemurian-designed showers are the best!" Laura's face lit up as she told them. "It's just like a glass cylinder shower stall with a shower head, but it vacuums and recycles the water through a drain on the bottom – and when you're done, air nozzles blow both you and the stall dry!"

"Are you serious?!" Freya's jaw dropped and her eyes looked like they would fall out. "That's… that's amazing! And here we are stuck with liquid soap, rinse-less shampoo and _wet sponges!_"

While the Lionheart did have showers, they were designed for use under gravity. They could be used in space, but the preparation required and the clean-up afterwards was so time-consuming, the crew were limited to a shower once a fortnight – if they were lucky. For Freya and Alice, who took pride in their appearance, this was an affront to their personal hygiene standards and they were understandably green with envy.

"It was so quick too! And everyone here gets to use them almost every day!" Laura went on, much to their resentment and finished with a long sigh. "Haa… I'm so glad I got this transfer…"

"Lucky you, Blonde Hellhound…" Freya growled, and she and Alice proceeded to stuff their faces with snacks from offscreen.

"Hey…" Laura murmured when she recognised what they were eating. "Those are my musk sticks… and my gummi Haros!"

"We did agree to share our snacks, remember?" Alice reminded the irate technopath and sucked on another gummi. "And you did get a whole backlog of sweets from Clara."

"Yeah, we're just chipping in," said Freya, who made a show of biting her musk stick in half. "There'll still be plenty when you get back."  
"No fair! I didn't even get to bring any!" Laura pouted, but her tortured expression was interrupted by the sound a hydraulic door hissing open. "Oh, that must be Shana. I'll see you guys later, okay?"

"You're bunking with Shana? Nice!" Junko exclaimed before waving goodbye. "Goodnight, Laura!"

"Bye Laura! Don't let your guard down, you hear?" Freya brandished her musk stick like a wand and saw her off.

"But wait, I didn't even get to ask about Bancho's sleeping arrangements!" Alice cut in, visibly distraught.

"Use your imagination," Laura told the Disappointing Angel with a straight face. "You're good at that."

The blonde hung up and her friends disappeared from the screen. When she turned, she found Shana watching from the bunk opposite.

"Sorry, did I interrupt?" asked the Zodian, who must have overheard part of the conversation because she was smiling. Her bronze skin glistened from her recent shower and she had changed into a set of green pyjamas.

"No, it's okay. We were just finishing anyway," said Laura, and she watched as the girl braided her long black hair for bed. "Are you going to sleep now? Can we talk first?"

"I was hoping you'd say that," Shana grinned, and they laid side by side on their bunks facing each other. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I want to hear about you. How did you join the Militia?"

Even though Shana had been with Laura the entire day acting as her guide and host alongside Zora, the Gundam pilot had not had the chance to speak with her privately since coming aboard the Ganymede. Now seemed like an opportune moment.

"There's not much to tell… One day Zora visited my village and when she found out I was a technopath she invited me to join her crew in the Militia," Shana recounted with a neutral expression and a hint of what Laura thought was nostalgic melancholy. "That was almost two years ago now…"

"Just like that? No offence, but you don't seem like the fighting type," Laura pointed out, drawing a faint smile from the young woman.

"Is it really that obvious? You're right though; I'm not like the others," Shana rolled over and stared at the ceiling with her wistful green eyes. "I just wanted to get away, I guess, and Zora's offer gave me the perfect opportunity. Compared to everyone else in the Militia who have a burning desire for revenge against LIRA, it sounds pretty frivolous, doesn't it? I mean, it's not like I lost something… or someone…"

"Are you talking about Ignacio and Sheeban? What's their story?" Laura asked, curious, feeling she might understand having lost someone herself.

"Nacho has a sad but common tale in the Militia; LIRA destroyed his village to make way for a mine and he lost family and friends in the process. Like many others, he was a refugee until he joined the Militia. As for Sheeban, he was already here when Nacho and I joined, but I heard he was the sole survivor of a disappeared village when Zora found him. He never talks about it though," Shana revealed, and Laura purple eyes drooped with sympathy. "They're polar opposites, but they work really well together. On the other hand, I can barely pull my weight. Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a pilot…"

"That's not true. From what I could tell at the Ganymede's simulators today, you have a lot of technopathic talent," Laura encouraged the crestfallen woman just as she had Tully. While it had been occasionally clumsy, she recalled Shana's piloting had surprising displays of intuition and reflexes. "You just need practice and experience – and confidence! I don't know why, but I feel like you're holding back as a technopath…"

When Laura said that, a sliver of astonishment entered Shana's jade eyes before she blinked and cast whatever feeling was exposed back inside.

"I feel like I can't hide anything from you, Laura…" she whispered, confusing the Gundam pilot with her sunken smile. "You probably don't know, but technopaths aren't just rare in the ZU… they're shunned. For centuries, the many settlements in the Zodiac were far between and in their isolation people clung to superstitions old and new… which they still do today. Around here, technopaths like us aren't looked upon with wonder but as avatars of evil."

"What? That's not right… that's horrible…" Laura's mouth hung open and her eyes widened when she considered the revelation more closely. "Wait, so when you said you wanted to get away from your village…?"

Shana nodded and surprised Laura with her maturity and strength when she spoke.

"When they found out I was a technopath, they called me a witch and avoided me," she revealed solemnly, only for her lips to curve when she saw the horrified look on Laura's face. "It's not as bad as it sounds – I've heard much worse happen to other technopaths since I joined the Militia, so I feel lucky."

"I'm so sorry… I didn't know…" Laura whispered, thinking of all the times she had taken her privileged position as a technopath on Rem for granted and felt guilty.

"It's okay; it's all in the past now. Thanks to Zora, I'm in a better place with people who accept me," Shana assured her with a grin, before frowning. "But like you said… I guess I subconsciously still try to hide my powers. All my life I've been told using them is bad and it's kind of stuck."

"They're not bad… and you're not a witch," Laura told the Zodian with a shake of her head and the blonde's eyes burned with a combination of anger and compassion that captivated Shana. "Being a technopath just means you're special… It's a part of who you are and you shouldn't be ashamed of it. I… I like you the way you are, Shana…"

Laura blushed like a supernova when she realised what she had said and Shana laughed.

"…Thank you, Laura. I like you too," she whispered, causing Laura's cheeks to redden even further. "Can I ask you something now? What's that necklace you're always touching? Is it special to you?"

A little surprised by the unexpected question, Laura paused and gathered the necklace in her hand so that its amethyst ring sparkled under the faint bulb of their room.

"I've always had it… ever since I was at the orphanage. Milos said my real family must have given it to me. I can't explain it, but… touching it makes me feel safe…" Laura explained, and took the necklace off so Shana could have a look at it. "Not the chain though – that's new. Tully gave it to me."

Laura recalled the misty-eyed memory with a smile when she had lost her necklace at school and looked everywhere for it with Tully. They eventually found it, but the worn string that threaded the amethyst ring had finally reached the end of its life and snapped. The young Laura was distraught until Tully offered up her own necklace – a gift from the matron – as a replacement.

Laura told the story to Shana and how the necklace had become a symbol of their friendship while the Zodian listened intently.

"She sounds like a wonderful person," she remarked as she gave the necklace back.

"She was. She was my best friend," Laura replied, putting it back on, and paused. "I was so angry before… and sad after… after she died. I still am sometimes. But now, when I think about her, I remember all the good times we had and I feel… I feel better, I guess?"

"I think she would be pleased to hear you say that," Shana smiled. "I've seen revenge eat away at people in the Militia, so I'm glad it hasn't taken over your life."

"Well, we're still working on beating the Scarlet Wolf the next time she shows up," the ace mentioned, but nodded. "But you're right, I have my family and friends to thank for not letting this vendetta blind my judgement sometimes. I feel like we've grown even closer because of it…"

"That sounds so nice… I think I already told you, but there are no girls my own age on the Ganymede," Shana commented, making an expression that was a cross between a pout and a smile. "So I'm really jealous how close you orphans are."

"Well, you'll be happy to hear everyone is really interested in you so you're welcome to join us!"

Shana's emerald eyes lit up when Laura told her that and she chuckled. It was funny; when Laura had first met Shana she kept comparing her to Tully, but now after speaking to her and having a heart to heart, when she looked into her eyes she could only see the shy, dark-haired beauty before her.

"Oh, that reminds me," Laura exclaimed and pulled something out from the bag stashed under her bunk. "Do you like having your fortune told?"

"I love having my fortune told. How did you… Are those tarot cards?!" Shana yelled and launched herself out of her bunk towards a shocked Laura. "There's an old fortune teller on Arcturus who lets me look at her cards but I can never find a set for sale anywhere in the Union. Where did you get these?!"

"I had a hunch you might like them; they used to belong to Tully," Laura chuckled, and let the Zodian flip through the cards. "I'm still learning, but I thought we could do a reading together."

"Oh, I'd love to! Thank you, Laura!"

Shana threw a hug around the flustered woman and Laura gently caressed her hair. But when the green-eyed technopath drew the first card for their reading, the orphan paled. It was the black robed skeleton again, sitting atop a dark horse and wielding a long scythe.

Death was coming.

.

**END OF PART A**

* * *

Apologies for the long wait between updates. This is the first episode of the Zodiac Union arc and I underestimated the amount of build up it required from introducing the new characters and such. It's already as long as a full episode and there's still the second half to go... I'm not entirely happy with Part A but GG has been stalled long enough. Going to work on Part B now where we'll get what looks to be a full-blown episode of non-stop action.


	13. Episode 07 - Death at the Zodiac -Part B

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam.

Another big thanks to my beta LW for prereading - thank you!

* * *

Gundam Gemini

Episode Seven

Death at the Zodiac

Part B

.

Laura kept her fears to herself and a week passed during which she trained with Team Banshee in the Ganymede's simulators for the upcoming operation on Undine. The combined RDF and Militia Fleet did not expect to run into LIRA yet, but they had drills and simulated underwater conditions just in case. As the Militia had recorded in their encounters, LIRA's Fourth Fleet was known to deploy a variety of mobile suits and when Laura wasn't familiarising herself with undersea combat and Team Banshee's tactics, she played the enemy for them.

As expected of the Militia's ace, Sheeban impressed Laura with his piloting and tactics, but they still never got to duke it out in the end. Despite his silent nature, the leader of Team Banshee never shirked from telling the other pilots what they had done wrong or needed to improve and was well-respected. Ignacio, hot-headed as he was, surprised Laura by taking Sheeban's advice to heart and was a reliable pilot – although it remained to be seen if he could keep his emotions in check in a real fight. Under Laura's tutelage, Shana's technopathic talents began to bloom and she made small improvements. However, the RDF pilot felt her pupil was still not yet mentally prepared for the rigours of actual combat and would require support.

At night, Laura and the orphans would update each other on the day's events with Shana gradually joining in and getting to know the girls. Laura was also required to report her activities to Milos on a regular basis but when he wouldn't stop worrying over her like a nosy helicopter parent she gladly reported to Sofia instead. According to the commander, Admiral Turner had allowed Zora to 'borrow' the RDF ace because he had a good 'gut feeling' about the former pirate which led them both to grind their teeth at the old man.

While she fell into her new routine, the fleet's journey continued and before Laura realised it they had arrived at their destination: the planet of water, Undine.

"It's beautiful…" Laura whispered, staring at the blue planet on the monitor of the Orthrus, where she sat on standby inside its cockpit. Undine was smaller than the other planets she had seen but still dwarfed the fleet and was like a round sapphire floating in space.

"Laura," the voice of Milos addressed her on the comm and the face of her adopted father appeared on-screen. "Don't worry, Laura, this should be a simple extraction operation; get the relic and get out of there."

"I'm not worried; you're the one who sounds worried," said Laura, raising her eyebrow. "And I'm only in this position because of you, remember?"

Milos groaned and they were interrupted when another voice joined the comm.

"I believe you forgot to add 'captain' to the end of your sentences, ensign."

"C-Commander Gabriel!" Laura saluted at once at the sight of the demon commander, irking her father.

"Ever since you transferred to the Ganymede, I've noticed you seem to be lacking in discipline. The influence of Captain Adesina's lax authority, I suspect," Sofia narrowed her red eyes upon speaking the pirate's name. "Perhaps you require retraining upon your return to the Lionheart…"

"Don't be too hard on the girl, commander," another voice interjected before Laura could protest and she found Admiral Turner's bushy beard in the frame. "Ensign Hartmann is just adapting to her new environment; I'm sure that upon her return she'll slip back into the chain of command like a well-oiled cog. Right, ensign?"

"Yes, sir! I'm just a cog in the machine!"

"As for the operation, Zora has my full confidence in seeing it through and I know she'll take care of our young ace here."

Whatever the admiral saw in the Militia leader, it overrode Sofia's concerns and she and Milos nodded.

"Yes, admiral," they answered only for Milos to add with a whisper, "You still can't beat me in a dance-off, old man…"

"The hell I can't, Hartmann!" Turner shot back with a competitive grin. "When this operation is over, I'm going to school your sorry behind – again!"

"Bring it on, old man!"

While the men argued like overgrown children, the women sighed and Laura quietly kicked them off her comm only for more calls to come in.

"Hey, Laura! Ready to go swimming?" Junko's cheery voice graced the technopath's relived ears. "I want to hear every detail afterwards!"

"She's not going on holiday, Junko," Alice appeared next and chided the mechanic who stuck her tongue out. "Good luck, Laura."

"Leave things over here to us, ensign, and go find that relic," Ray added, giving a thumbs up.

"Thanks, girls, Ray. Hopefully, this won't take long," Laura replied.

"Keep your eyes peeled, Laura! You won't have us to watch your back… and you know how much you rely on me!" Freya reminded her for the umpteenth time. "Those flyboys better not try anything fishy because I have a new mobile suit and I'm not afraid to use it!"

"What was that, rich girl?" Ignacio suddenly entered the channel and flapped his gums. "Why wait? Bring it on bit–"

"Nacho!" Shana shouted and her face supplanted his on the monitor. "Don't worry, everyone; we'll take good care of your Blonde Hellhound."

"Shana!" Laura objected only to hear laughter go around both teams and flushed to her ears. Shana was already getting along swimmingly with her friends, which turned out to be both a good and bad thing. Thankfully, Zora's roguish voice silenced the laughter as she made a crew-wide announcement.

"Okay, boys and girls, settle down. The Ganymede will now enter Undine's atmosphere so strap yourselves in, keep your heads, arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times, and please remember to enjoy the ride."

With a final nod to her friends, Laura closed the comm and felt the Ganymede fire its thrusters as it separated from the fleet, leaving the Militia's eight Gladiator-class destroyers in the RDF's care. Alone, it flew directly into the blue planet before pointing its nose up and began to gain speed, pulled by Undine's gravity until it was in its grasp and in freefall. The former pirate ship essentially bellyflopped into the atmosphere, attaining astronomical speeds that broke the sound barrier two dozen times over, and the friction and compressed air under its reddened hull reached thousands of degrees. The heat from those ionised particles recombined around the Ganymede and created an incandescent light which could be seen by its allies in space as it gradually descended like a falling star.

Within the Ganymede, Laura waited patiently inside the Orthrus' cockpit and found herself questioning the safety of the ancient Lemurian vessel as it creaked and groaned from the shockwaves pounding beneath her feet. However, as time passed and the drag decelerated the ship, the Gundam pilot felt the weight of her body return until she was eased into the comfort of her seat by gravity. The Ganymede, which had been breaking the sound barrier only minutes ago, was gradually restored to a less turbulent speed and dropped from Undine's skies like a giant watermelon.

"Deploy wings!" Zora ordered from the captain's chair and the bridge operators complied.

Broad sections hidden within the Ganymede's skirt unfolded, becoming three pairs of cascading wings, each embedded with with huge circular turbines which lifted the craft up and through the air. With the help of the spinning turbines keeping the vessel aloft, its thrusters reignited with azure flames and the ship soared over Undine's endless ocean which shimmered beneath the Zodian Sun. After admiring the world's horizon for a time, Zora ordered the helmswoman to take them down and the Ganymede made a soft landing in the middle of the sea where its hull cooled with rising white steam as it calmly floated on the waves.

"We're right on top of the Star Map coordinates, Zora," the navigator reported, and the captain activated her comm.

"Well, Laura?"

"Nothing," the Gundam pilot answered when the relic detection program on her monitor made no sound. "It must be further away."

"Then it looks like we're going for a swim," Zora grinned. "All hands, prepare to submerge!"

The Ganymede retracted its wings before ballast tanks in the forward and aft sections of its hull began to take water. The escaping air from the tanks caused bubbles to foam around the vessel which only halted when it had disappeared under the waves. Now fully submerged, the ship activated its searchlights and dived for Undine's ocean floor.

"I have something," Laura reported as her instrument began to bleep a hundred metres down. "A relic is definitely down here."

"Not just a relic," Zora replied. "Look."

Laura and Team Banshee checked their monitors and the link with the bridge displayed a mysterious white structure underneath the Ganymede. As they drew closer, they realised it was a circular dome of Lemurian design, half a kilometre in diameter, and stood on a single pillar which sprouted from the deep. The pilots and crew were rendered speechless and left wondering as to the purpose of such a facility on a remote planet.

"What the hell is that?" Ignacio finally said what everyone was thinking.

"A deep-sea research centre…?" Shana ventured but did not look entirely convinced.

"Whatever it is, the relic must be inside," said Laura and her voice welled with excitement.

"You heard the Bloodhound!" Zora bellowed with a grin, probably on purpose, and went on speaking before an annoyed Hellhound could correct her. "You're up, Team Banshee. Find that relic!"

The team of ten Raijuu and the Gundam were lowered from the Ganymede's hangar to its airlock which began to fill with water. The Raijuu had already been outfitted with underwater equipment which overlaid their thin torso frames with bubble-like armour and wrapped propeller gauntlets around their forelimbs. The Orthrus, on the other hand, while theoretically proven to function underwater in simulations, was incompatible with the Raijuu's equipment. Instead, it had been jury-rigged with inflatable super life rafts around its body in case it sunk like a hammer – a precaution which certainly did not boost Laura's confidence.

As the increasing seawater washed over the Orthrus' head cameras and seemingly transformed her panoramic monitor into an elaborate fish tank, Laura inadvertently held her breath until the Gundam's HUD switched to underwater mode. When it did, she sighed with relief and watched as the long bay doors of the flooded airlock groaned open below. One by one, the Raijuu walked over and sunk out from under the Ganymede and Laura went last after taking a deep breath.

The Orthrus did indeed sink like a hammer but as the simulations had proven, Laura was able to manoeuvre around thanks to her thrusters albeit slowly due to the dampening effects of the water. Meanwhile, the Raijuu swam like dolphins thanks to their bubble armour, which doubled as ballast tanks, and their spinning propellers. Team Banshee inevitably left her behind as they dove for the Lemurian dome facility although one mischievous Raijuu swam circles around Laura before taking off.

"Why so slow, Hellhound? Did you forget how to dog paddle?" Ignacio taunted her before laughing his head off.

"You little…! You wouldn't be talking like that if this were a vacuum!" the blonde growled and tried to will the Gundam to go faster to little effect.

"Here, hold on to me, Laura."

Shana pulled up beside the Orthrus in her Raijuu and offered a welcome hand. Shouting her thanks through the electromagnetic comm, Laura grabbed it and was towed along as Team Banshee approached the underwater facility. However, heart-pounding alerts from their sonars stopped them in their tracks: several objects were closing in and fast.

"Torpedoes!" Sheeban warned before he realised their alarming proximity. "Scatter!"

Team Banshee broke formation on his order but a torpedo bolted out of the darkness and drove straight into one of their number. It scuppered the Raijuu in a rising bubble of destructive energy and sent shockwaves through the ocean, startling the Militia inside their shuddering cockpits. The rest of the torpedoes exploded around them and everyone braced as they were caught by multiple pressure surges.

"Is it LIRA? Where are they?" Zora demanded, hanging off the edge of her seat on the Ganymede's bridge. "Why didn't we see them?!"

"The torpedoes came from beyond our sonar range and sonar has reduced effectiveness this deep in the ocean!" the man on sonar reported before giving his conclusion. "They're close!"

Zora's eyes widened and she determined the answer to her own question with a growl.

"Turn off the searchlights! Load the torpedo tubes! All hands prepare for an undersea knife fight!" she ordered. "Team Banshee, get ready!"

"Zora, more incoming objects on sonar… mobile suits!" the sonarman reported. "It's a squad of Lycans!"

"Did you hear that, Ban? It's them."

"Understood," Sheeban responded and propelled his Raijuu out in front. "Team Banshee, prepare to counterattack!"

Hearing the order Laura grimaced, feeling vulnerable while armed with only a torpedo launcher loaned from the Militia. The Orthrus' new Solar equipment had been left behind on the Ganymede for reasons of hydrodynamics and the reduced effectiveness of beam weapons underwater. But concerns for her own survival suddenly evaporated when Laura realised the true meaning of LIRA's presence. With a shocked gasp, she threw her distressed purple gaze back towards Undine's skies.

"The fleet!"

.

* * *

.

They appeared at the outer edge of Undine: a line of black ships in the distance with a wraith-like cruiser at their head – LIRA's Fourth Fleet and their flagship, the Tempest. Admiral Turner knew it was the Reaper the moment the Baselard's radarman sounded the alarm and the operator counted nine Wyvern-class cruisers. It was three short of the full LIRA-dozen and although reports said the Fourth had less ships than Lux's regular fleets, Turner assumed the missing vessels would be gunning for their backs.

"What are the chances, admiral?" Milos appeared on the captain's chair monitor with an angry scowl masking his gritted teeth. "They may have a star map but to appear at the same time as us and ready for a brawl? Either we have a leak or we were fed false information."

"I agree, captain," Turner replied coolly. "But we can't think about that right now; we must focus on winning this battle. Besides, don't you see the irony, Milos?"

"Yes, sir… It's like a miniature battle for Lemuria."

The positions were reversed but with LIRA coming from the front, Undine on their starboard side and its moon nearing on their port, it looked as if the remnants of Rem's First Fleet would get their chance at revenge early.

"We're at less than a quarter-strength though and I don't know how much we can count on the Militia," Milos went on, frowning, but Turner shook his head.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that, Milos; after all, we have the Lionheart and the Militia's Gladiators are quick little things," he explained with a familiar stroke of his beard. "I should know since I've both served on and captained one of those old tin cans. Well, if it's a fight the Reaper wants, it's a fight he'll get."

"I take it my schooling is on hold, sir?" Milos finally grinned.

"You can still watch and learn, boy," Turner retorted before bellowing his orders. "All ships, prepare for combat! Launch all Garm teams! And get the Militia's subcommander on the line; I have a special job for them…"

.

* * *

.

When the alarms sounded, the crew of the Lionheart dropped what they were doing and dashed for their battle stations. The members of Team Orthrus who had been left behind manned their mobile suits with a mix of different feelings. For Ray, it would be his second battle since re-enlisting – if one counted the disastrous friendly-fire incident at the abandoned colony as a battle – and he was eager to prove himself. For Freya and Alice, however, it was the opportunity they had been waiting for: to take their new mobiles suits out for a spin and stomp on LIRA.

"Finally, some action!" the Pink Diva hollered as she strapped herself into her cockpit and began start up procedures.

"Remember to leave some for me," Alice entreated through the comm as she checked her instruments.

"Don't get cocky, brats; we're up against a whole fleet this time," Ray chided them before swallowing some pills and fixing his helmet on.

"Hey, stop raining on our parade, old man!" Freya shot back with a cheeky grin. "I'm just sad Laura isn't here see us in all our glory."

"She'd just steal your thunder anyway," Junko appeared on the diva's screen with the others and poked her tongue out with a jeer. "This will be the debut battle of the new Garms, so make sure to get plenty of data; I'm sure R&D will appreciate it when they're admiring your footage!"

"Oh, you bet! We're going to give them a show to remember," Freya licked her lips.

"Team Orthrus, you are cleared for launch," the voice of the bridge operator informed them, and the Garms Beta and Gamma were transported to the launch pad catapults first.

"This is Freya Valstein," the Pink Diva announced and gripped her controls. "Brunhild, heading out!"

"Alice Carol," the Disappointing Angel mimicked the pinkette. "Jabberwock, taking flight!"

The catapult blocks disengaged their locks and the mobile suits shot down their runways on sparks of electromagnetic force. The Brunhild left the rails first and came careening out of the Lionheart's bow, revealing itself to be a lean white and pink machine armed with a rifle and shield. The sky-blue Jabberwock followed with its new sniper rifle in hand and the two Garm prototypes coiled around each other as they soared into space. Ray's navy-blue Hermes exited last, wielding its dual rifles and as he took up the rear he observed the joint fleet had assembled into a line formation; the RDF Knight battleships were on the right wing, the Militia Gladiator destroyers on the left, and the Lionheart was in between.

"Check us out, LIRA! We're stunning!" Freya whooped and stopped above the Lionheart to pose with Alice. "But I still think my Brunhild should've been painted all pink…"

"There was no way that was going to happen," a frowning Milos muscled in on their monitors and proclaimed. "We already have a scarlet mobile suit running around and now a blue Garm; we don't need to confuse our allies any more than that. You're lucky I even let you paint them at all!"

"Milos, you scrooge!" Freya stuck her tongue out.

"Philistine!" Alice added.

"Quiet, all of you," Sofia suddenly materialised on their screens and ordered, her narrowed red eyes muzzling even the captain. "Now if you can focus for five seconds, LIRA has already deployed their mobile suit squadrons. ETA in three minutes."

"Wargs?" Ray asked.

"Negative, radar reports they're too small to be Wargs. Expect the Lycans the Militia warned us about."

"They're basically Raijuu, right? Let me at them!" Freya shouted, punching her palm.

"Stay where you are, ensign. We need all teams to stay close to their ships," Milos instructed the diva who sulked like a child. "There might be a few stealth cruisers out there waiting to ambush us so we don't need Team Orthrus straying too far in case we need you."

"What? No fair!" Freya cried and her moping was followed by a torrent of bleeps on Alice's radar.

"Detecting up to ten bandits," the blonde reported, adjusting her instruments. "Remarkable… the Jabberwock's sensors far outstrip those of my old Garm."

"Perfect for a sniper, eh, ensign?" Ray winked before addressing Milos. "Permission to engage, captain?"

"Granted. But remember, don't stray too far."

"Ensign Carol and Mr Mercury should be enough. The Lionheart will support you from behind," Sofia added, leaving a certain diva gobsmacked, before she and the captain signed off.

"Roger that. Come on, Alice, you're up! Just like we trained," Ray spurred Alice on, taking command in place of an indignant Freya.

Alice boosted the Jabberwock several hundred metres in front of the Lionheart before reverse thrusting to a stop. There, she took up a shooting posture by resting the barrel of her long rifle on a notch along the rim of her shield. Flipping a switch inside the cockpit, the lights dimmed and a large scope lowered over the technopath's amber eyes.

She saw them: ten grey mobile suits, over thirty kilometres away. The Lycans were smaller than Wargs, one-eyed and slender-limbed, but all were prey to the Jabberwock. As the targeting reticule converged on her first victim, the Disappointing Angel smiled and squeezed the trigger.

An instant later, the lead Lycan was seemingly pierced by a lance of blue light which left a molten hole in its chest before exiting out its back. After a delayed reaction, it burst into a ball of sputtering flames and veered off course while its bewildered comrades were left reeling. By the time they realised the enemy was sniping them from an impossible distance ahead, another Lycan had been speared through and its explosion finally compelled the squadron to quickly take evasive manoeuvres.

Nevertheless, Alice kept pulling the trigger and managed to shoot down another two Lycans in flight only to miss the next few shots. The blonde clicked her tongue and pushed her scope out of the way. The Lycans were much faster than she had been led to believe and she had to reload.

"Sorry, Ray. There are too many for me," the sniper apologised and retreated while changing her plasma cartridge.

"No, you did good," said Ray as the Hermes zoomed past the Jabberwock. "You softened them up for me and I just happen to be the right tool for the right job!"

"…Did you just call yourself a tool?"

Ray ignored Freya's little jibe and opened up his throttle, propelling the Hermes straight into the remaining Lycans at high speed. The grey mobile suits spread out and fired their rifles en masse, attempting to surround and destroy the lone blue Garm, but it weaved through the web of beams like they were mere hindrances. Inside the Hermes' cockpit, Ray's dark blue eyes darted about between the multiple enemies on his monitors as they shot to kill before taking a deep breath and pushing on his control sticks.

In mid-flight, the Hermes stretched out its arms and fired off dual bursts of plasma from its rifles in two different directions. Two Lycans in Ray's orbit were hit at the same time, becoming twin fireballs as they joined the stars. The red beams flying his way intensified but the former ace calmly shifted his controls, simultaneously dodging and repositioning the Hermes using minimal thruster burns. Its rotating arms, freed to manoeuvre due to the compact bullpup designs of the rifles in its hands, lined up new targets on the fly and Ray shot them down a pair at a time like a ballet of beams.

From start to finish, the skirmish only lasted ten seconds and the Hermes was the final one standing amongst the shredded remains of the Lycans.

"…Like riding a bicycle," Ray exhaled only to cry out in alarm when one of the Lycans reactivated and took off for the Lionheart. "Look out! One's still alive!"

Alice quickly whipped up her rifle and checked her scope. The Lycan was nothing but a flying torso hurtling forward even after its legs, lower waist and its right arm had been blown off as its pilot burned what propellent they had left into a blue inferno out the back. Both Ray and Alice got a shot off only for the Lycan to zigzag erratically past the Jabberwock and go straight for the Lionheart.

"He's mine!" Freya cried and she thrusted to intercept the survivor who tried to snake around the Brunhild like they had the Jabberwock.

But the Pink Diva took a different tact and slammed her shield into the Lycan. The impact together with the full weight of the Brunhild should have knocked the pilot unconscious – yet they kept coming. With thrusters blazing, they grabbed onto the shield and tried to push the Brunhild back.

"What the…?" Freya whispered, finding the enemy's behaviour baffling, and her technopathic abilities shared her alarm when they felt a growing spike of energy from the Lycan.

"Freya!" Alice shouted, having also correctly deduced the Lycan's intentions.

Biting her lip, the diva shook the glowing mobile suit off her shield before following up with a thruster-aided kick that sent the Lycan spinning away from the Lionheart. Aiming her rifle next, she discharged a few beams into its back for good measure and hid behind her shield from the ensuing eruption. The Lycan must have been using a cheap, obsolete battery because when it self-destructed the explosion rocked the Lionheart and the surrounding space. When the wall of heat and light finally died away from her monitor, Freya lowered her shield and found there was nothing left; the Lycan had been completely disintegrated.

"…What the hell was that?" the diva asked after taking a deep breath.

"I think it was trying to take the Lionheart down with it…" said Ray who was no less disturbed as he rejoined the others. "I've seen pilots do some suicidal things but this was extra crazy…"

"It's like they didn't value their own lives…" Alice whispered, feeling an uneasy chill.

"There are similar reports from the other ships," Sofia appeared on their monitors and informed them. "But whatever the tactics of the Reaper's Hypnos squad, the First Fleet has fended them off for now. Good work, Team Orthrus. LIRA's fleet will be coming into cannon range soon so remain on standby."

The three pilots watched as the row of Knight-class battleships and the Lionheart fired their main cannons, unleashing a barrage of titanic-sized beams which surged into the distance like a dazzling deluge. After the initial volley, the RDF alternated fire and launched random missile salvos, keeping the nimble Wyvern-class cruisers on their toes as they attempted to get their own cannons within range amidst the attack. Meanwhile, the Militia fleet of Gladiator-class destroyers, left unopposed on the left wing, advanced and attempted to flank the occupied Fourth Fleet.

From their vantage point above the Lionheart, Team Orthrus observed what appeared to be a solid strategy from Admiral Turner but it was cold comfort against the feared Reaper. Furthermore, the burning question at the back of their minds was the whereabouts of the Fourth Fleet's missing ships which might include the stealth cruiser of the Lunar Fox and the Scarlet Wolf. The thought of facing their dreaded rivals while they were not at full strength was concerning to say the least but no one in Team Orthrus dared mention it.

"By the way… how's your lunch, Ray-Man?" Freya finally broke the silence and asked.

"Still in its place, since you asked," Ray replied, keeping his eyes on the unfolding battle while Alice's gaze drifted towards the blue sphere of Undine in the background.

"Come back soon, Laura…"

.

* * *

.

Narick Ambion couldn't believe his luck.

First, not only had his father, Lord Ambion, dispatched the finest pilots to replenish Team Ambion's depleted ranks, he had also arranged for the scion's transfer to the Paris. The Crow-class stealth cruiser would join General Cypher's Fourth Fleet and the Blue Crow to the ZU where they would continue the relic hunt – the perfect stage for Narick to outshine Vega and reclaim his glory. He may have had to share passage with those detestable Space Wolves in the process, whom he was sure had something to do with his waking up in the medical bay with sudden memory loss, but General Cypher had recognised his worth over their mistress and sent the Paris down to Undine to claim the relic.

The Paris and Team Ambion were also accompanied by the Wyvern-class Caliban which carried a squad of the Reaper's infamous Team Hypnos. The mysterious masked troopers were unintelligent barbarians as far as Narick could tell who piloted inferior Raijuu called Lycans. It was a stain on his nobility to work with such rabble but no matter; they would be a minor footnote in the Legend of Narick Ambion and how he bravely secured the first relic in the ZU for Lux.

Which led Narick to his next bit of fortune: as if offering themselves up for his legend, a horde of enemies were already on Undine and ready for a thrashing. Well, it appeared to be just a lone ship judging by the searchlights in the undersea distance but embellishment was a necessary instrument for those of higher birth to control the mindless masses, as Narick's father said. Demonstrating the brilliant tactical genius for which he would surely be known, the nobleman ordered the Caliban and Team Hypnos to attack from the front and distract the enemy. Meanwhile, the Paris and Team Ambion would sneak around and acquire the relic before they would rout the enemy from behind.

That was when he saw it – the source of his most recent humiliation. An existence second only to Vega Aurelia when it came to the indignities Narick had been made to suffer.

"The White Hellhound…!" he glowered, his perfect features twisting into an ugly scowl usually reserved for the Scarlet Wolf. There was no mistake; after what it had done to him and the Tybalt, Narick would recognise that white mobile suit anywhere. Even when it was floundering underwater.

"…Oh. Lucky day, indeed!" the scion grinned when he realised his chance for revenge was already at hand and opened his comm. "Change of plans, Cecil; all Sea Wargs are to target the Orthrus Gundam for destruction!"

"The White Hellhound?" Cecil gasped. "At once, Master Narick! That cur will rue the day they crossed House Ambion!"

"Yes, I will enjoy skinning them alive… and afterwards I will forever remind that she-wolf that it was I who took the head of her rival, not her!" Narick began to laugh vigorously and Cecil joined in but their premature revelling was interrupted by a third party.

"Our orders were to secure the relic," a heavily filtered voice stated without a hint of emotion and the masked visage of X-99 with his shock of white hair appeared on Narick's monitor.

"99-X or whatever your name is," the blonde nobleman sneered with contempt at the sight of the Reaper's dog. "I know General Cypher sent you to babysit me – don't think I don't know – but the fact remains I outrank you! Now follow my orders and keep distracting the enemy while I sink this hound in the water… and don't get in my way unless you also wish to feel the full wrath of House Ambion!"

"…Understood," came the masked pilot's response after a pause and he disappeared from the screen.

"Well done, Master Narick!" Cecil praised his lord. "The insolence of that native!"

"Every now and again we must put the lower-born in their place, Cecil," Narick declared with proud pomp and raised his nose. "Chaos would reign otherwise."

Under the cover of the ocean deep, Team Ambion crept forward towards the unsuspecting enemy while they were engaged with Team Hypnos' Lycans. Vibrations swept over their Sea Wargs from the explosions of torpedoes and mobile suits but Narick was surprisingly patient as he kept his hungry eyes on the murky white form in the water. Finally, the Orthrus separated from the group and the aggrieved heir to House Ambion bellowed a single order.

"Attack! Bring me the head of the White Hellhound!"

.

* * *

.

The Lycans came out of the shadows of the deep like phantoms. They were grey versions of the Militia's one-eyed Raijuu complete with round underwater equipment and propellers except the eyes on their triangular heads were red. Like the Raijuu, their propeller gauntlets were armed with torpedoes and they launched a second volley at the scattered Militia on sight. Team Banshee returned fire and the opposing waves of zooming warheads either smashed into one another or found unfortunate mobile suits, creating ripples of underwater tremors as they detonated.

Laura braced inside her cockpit as the shockwaves hit, pushing the Orthrus backwards, and fired her torpedo launcher into the dark. Thoughts of the fleet and her friends rapidly deserted her mind as she tried to get a visual on the enemy but the ocean depths were devoid of light and jammers beset her sonar. Furthermore, the immobility of the Gundam underwater concerned the technopath and she grimaced. As much as it went against her own tactical instincts, she had no choice but to remain as quiet and still as possible.

Suddenly, a ray of light illuminated the darkness and Laura saw a familiar Raijuu soaring overhead on her monitor. Sheeban had turned on his high-intensity searchlights and was shining them at the Lycans. Taking their leader's cue, Laura and Team Banshee unleashed a torpedo barrage at the enemy positions as they were exposed one at a time.

The Lycans scrambled, propelling every which way to avoid the spotlight and deployed their jammers. But the speeding torpedoes didn't even need their onboard sonar; the instant they detected the mobile suits' magnetic signatures in close proximity, they detonated. Several spherical gas bubbles expanded instantly, snuffing out an equal number of Lycans in their roaring wake.

At the same time, the remaining members of Team Hypnos fired on Sheeban who engaged his thrusters and made some noise. Laura had to admire the Militia ace as she watched his selfless Raijuu guide the pack of torpedoes away from the battle but there was no way he was outrunning them. What the technopath did not realise was the Zodian had deliberately swum into the path of the hiding Ganymede.

"Zora!" Sheeban yelled into his comm.

"Fire interceptors!" Zora ordered.

Two holes on the bow of the Ganymede opened and ejected two pairs of double-loaded interceptors – cigar-shaped projectiles that were half the size of their torpedo cousins. Rammed out by water pressure and propelled rapidly to high velocity by electric power, the four interceptors were quiet as well as quick. They easily sought out and converged on the torpedoes dogging Sheeban, scuttling them in a series of foamy explosions and saving the Zodian's bacon.

"Torpedoes neutralised!" one of the Ganymede operators reported.

"Alright! Time to join in!" Zora hollered with a grin only to frown when the sonar picked something up.

"Zora, more torpedoes on our port side!" the sonarman yelled. "They're targeting the Ganymede!"

"Dive! Take us down another hundred feet!" the raven-haired pirate bellowed. "And deploy decoys!"

The Ganymede's ballast tanks filled with water and it sank deeper into the ocean while simultaneously releasing small rod-shaped devices. Four arms flipped up from the sides of the devices, revealing themselves to be rotors, and the decoys whirled away from the Ganymede like a school of fish. Each swamped the ocean with multiple acoustic signals, fooling the sonar of the incoming torpedoes with false targets and running them in circles until they either expended their fuel or left their programmed kill boxes and shut down.

"Thermal torpedoes!" Zora growled, recognising the greater size and speed of the muddled warheads on the sonar. "They have a ship with underwater warfare capabilities!"

LIRA cruisers were known to function underwater but naval warfare was so rare in the current space age it was thought they were not outfitted with anything beyond basic undersea weaponry. While electric torpedoes were small, safe, and easily stored for use when needed by specialised mobile suit equipment or a modified airlock, thermal torpedoes were large, volatile, and had slow acceleration in exchange for greater range and top speeds. They were unsuited for mobile suits and only a ship specialised for undersea warfare would carry them.

"So the Reaper thinks he can take me on in a submarine battle, eh?" Zora scoffed before stepping up to the challenge with a smirk. "Well, they don't call me the Hyena of the High Seas for nothing!"

"No, they call you the Laughing Hyena," Sheeban deadpanned on the comm.

"Save your comedy routine for those Hypnos goons, Banshee," the former pirate retorted. "Now work some more magic and clean up those Lycans!"

"Roger. Returning to the enemy's last known loc–" Sheeban paused, distracted, and his grey eyes narrowed. "Zora… it's him."

The Militia ace's instruments told him all was calm. But it was deceptive – somehow, he knew. Half a second later, a black Lycan burst out of the deep in front of Sheeban's Raijuu, searchlights flashing and brandishing a sonic blade.

The leader of Team Hypnos.

On instinct, Sheeban fired a torpedo at point blank but the Lycan merely knocked it aside before the warhead could arm and it harmlessly zoomed past its target. Grunting, the Militiaman swung his empty launcher at the enemy instead, letting it get sliced in two by the Lycan's vibrating knife while he drew the Raijuu's own sonic blade. Their daggers clashed repeatedly, shaving off sparks that glittered in the dark ocean, and all pretence of stealth was lost in the savage close-quarters melee as they tried to blind one another with their bright lights.

"Sorry, Zora… Team Banshee will have to fight without me," Sheeban managed to mutter in between dodging the Lycan's stabs, his usually emotionless face the picture of life-or-death concentration.

"Damn! That was the last thing we needed…" Zora swore and quickly switched comm channels. "Laura, get inside that Lemurian station and find that relic. Go with her, Shana. The Ganymede and Team Banshee will hold the fort."

"Understood," Laura replied and grabbed on to Shana's Raijuu again as it sailed past. The pair left the battlefield behind and headed straight for the white dome under stealth, using the Raijuu's silent propellers. But they did not get far before their sonars pinged and their faces paled with alarm.

"What the hell?!" Laura cried out upon seeing multiple readings on her sonar indicating a whole squad of mobile suits were closing in. "More Lycans? No…!"

"Sea Wargs!" Shana finished for her.

Yellow eyes glowed in the deep and the blue Wargs surged behind them like sharks to blood. As Laura had been briefed, these were no ordinary Wargs; they had rounded armour all over and giant propellers built into their backs, arms and legs. They had been especially designed for undersea combat from the ground up and could easily outrun an underwater equipped Raijuu or Lycan.

Nevertheless, Laura and Shana still tried to flee only to watch as their pursuers aimed torpedo-armed gauntlets at the rears of their mobile suits. Laura pointed her launcher back with the Orthrus' free arm, determined to at least take a few down with her, and fired her last torpedo. She watched it bolt and disappear into the ocean twilight, expecting an explosion to follow. When her sonar picked up several, the technopath's purple eyes bulged with comical surprise.

Buoyed, Laura and Shana listened as the Sea Wargs backed off and were replaced by the familiar signature of a lone Raijuu.

"Nacho?!" Shana cried, and sure enough the voice of the redhead barked over their comms.

"I'll distract them, so get going Hellmutt!" Ignacio grunted and kept it short.

"Don't call me mutt!" Laura snapped, adding, "And don't die, you idiot!"

Shana took off again with Laura in tow before the Sea Wargs could follow and Ignacio blind-fired another torpedo at the enemy's last location. The shattered husks of two Sea Wargs were already sinking into the abyss, destroyed by the Orthrus and Ignacio in the first salvo, which left six unaccounted for. The militiaman only found four using his sonar – two of which were hanging back like cowards while they let their comrades fight for them – and while he led them into a game of cat and mouse he quickly warned the others.

"Heads up, there might be two on your tail."

"Found them," Laura replied, hearing a pair of Sea Wargs noisily try to catch up with them on the sonar before she caught sight of their lights on the monitor, glowing like tiny torches. LIRA obviously didn't think they were much of a threat in their current state if they had turned on their searchlights too. "Don't worry, two we can handle. How many torpedoes do you have left, Shana?"

"O-One…"

"One?! How trigger-happy were you?"  
"Sorry! I freaked out a bit when the fighting started," a jittery Shana explained over the comm. "We're almost at the Lemurian dome; what do we do, Laura?"

The White Hellhound clamped up for a moment before coming up with a daring and possibly suicidal plan Commander Gabriel would never approve of.

"…Okay, I've got it. Do exactly as I tell you…."

Unlike the smooth white crown of the Lemurian dome, its dilapidated underside was a shadowy maze of jutting blocks and damaged structures – perfect for concealing two mobile suits. When the Sea Wargs arrived they used their bright, head-mounted torches to search for their prey, telegraphing their positions to Laura as she lay in hiding. Once she knew they were close enough, the White Hellhound burst into action.

The Orthrus might be dead weight underwater but it still had one advantage – it could sink like a stone. Using the Gundam's heavy feet, Laura plunged right on top of the first Sea Warg and crushed its head in with a kick before whipping out her beamsabre. As expected, its plasma blade was nothing more than a short butterknife under the freezing ocean but it could still burn through titanium and as Laura sunk past the Warg she stabbed at its cockpit. The pull of gravity on the Gundam dragged its beamsabre along, tearing the Warg open with a burst of escaping bubbles before it went limp and made a watery grave for itself below.

In a matter of seconds, their pursuers had been reduced to one and the remaining Sea Warg aimed its torpedo gauntlets below at the descending Orthrus, bent on avenging the sudden death of its comrade. But if its pilot thought destroying the White Hellhound would be like shooting a fish in a barrel, Laura quickly disabused them of that belief by triggering the jury-rigged super life rafts attached to the Gundam's body. In combination with its thrusters, the inflated rafts shot the balloon-like Orthrus towards the surface as intended and the mobile suit rammed into the stunned Sea Warg before pinning it to the dome underside with a shuddering quake.

"Now, Shana!"

At Laura's command, Shana's Raijuu leapt out of its hiding place with its torpedo launcher at the ready. While she took aim, Laura used her stubby beamsabre to cut whatever rafts had not burst, freeing the Orthrus to kick off its foe and out of the way to safety. This also unblocked the Warg's cameras, which had been blinded by the inflated rafts, but the first and last thing it saw was a torpedo to the face. The resulting explosion rocked the dome and when the bubbles and debris finally cleared, the hollowed out remains of the Sea Warg sank to the bottom of the ocean to join its fallen comrades.

"Great shot, Shana!" Laura grabbed onto the Raijuu again and congratulated its pilot.

"No, you made it easy for me, Laura; you had the difficult part," Shana sighed with relief and wondered if the White Hellhound was always this crazy. "I think I found the entrance so let's hurry and find the relic."

Propelling her Raijuu forward, Shana guided them to a round opening underneath the dome and they switched on their searchlights before going inside. The dark shaft led upwards deep into the facility until their shimmering lights refracted off a portal at the tunnel's end and their mobile suits surfaced inside a large pool. They clambered out and shone their torches over their surroundings, finding a cavernous and rusty Lemurian docking bay that had seen better days.

"The relic is close…" Laura checked her relic detector and reported while Shana marvelled at the facility. They were probably the first people to set foot inside the dome in centuries but there was no time to admire it – they had a mission to carry out. However, before they could even begin their search, the dome convulsed beneath the feet of their mobile suits like it had been struck by an earthquake.

"What now?!" Laura cried out with frustration only for her eyes to widen when she realised the floor was tilting. A terrible groan of warping steel reached their ears and the next thing they knew their mobile suits were sliding across the room before tumbling and crashing through the facility as the entire dome pitched sideways. Seawater flooded after them, seeping inside the dome in waves and, although their minds were gripped by fear, the girls had no confusion as to what was happening.

The dome was falling – and they were going with it.

.

* * *

.

"Take that, White Hellhound!"

An ecstatic Narick Ambion bellowed with triumph and watched as the torpedoes leaving his Sea Warg's gauntlets shot towards the Lemurian dome which his hated enemy had taken refuge inside of. The very idea of the White Hellhound discovering another relic before him was too much to bear and, in a thoughtless and hasty plan, the nobleman had decided to make the underwater facility their tomb. Little did he know it would work out far better than he had imagined as, in what could only be described as a freakish fluke, the torpedoes missed the dome entirely... and collided with its lone pillar instead.

When the heir to House Ambion saw the explosion, his giant chin hit the cockpit floor and he went completely quiet. Clouds of dust and foam from the impact obscured the section of the pillar that had been struck but there was no question it had been taken out because the entire column visibly shifted, marking the beginning of an extraordinary chain reaction.

First, the ruined spire collapsed in slow motion, falling backwards and breaking up into smaller pieces as it sank to the bottom of the ocean. Next, having lost its sole supporting pillar below, the immense dome rapidly tilted sideways at a sharp angle before the whole structure began to descend and released a chimney of escaping bubbles as it gathered speed. Finally, like a burial at sea, the white coffin disappeared into the abyss and the bubbles stopped, leaving behind no evidence a Lemurian ruin had ever been there.

Afterwards, Narick remained silent for a moment longer but eventually he found his voice and it trickled out.

"I… I've done it…!" he spluttered, shaking off his disbelief. "I've defeated the White Hellhound!"

The scion roared with laughter and his handsome features twisted with an ugly show of white teeth. The euphoric celebration went over the comm and was heard by another Sea Warg which rushed to his location. When Cecil arrived and saw what his master had done, the lackey went speechless.

"Look, Cecil! I've achieved what that she-wolf Vega Aurelia could not – I've killed the White Hellhound!" Narick boasted loudly upon knowing there was an audience even if it was just one. "Now all will know the name of Narick Ambion, LIRA's true ace!"

"B-B-But Master Narick…" Cecil stuttered fearfully. "What about the relic?"

"What about it? We can retrieve it after the battle – and while I'm at it, I'll dance on that mangy hellhound's grave!" the nobleman snapped before relishing the idea with a gleeful grin. "Honestly, Cecil, stop raining on my parade!"

"M-Master Narick…" the nervous retainer began. "Neither our Sea Wargs nor the Paris are cleared to dive to such depths… We would be crushed before we reached the relic now…"

From the other side of the comm came a deathly silence. It was the Ambion equivalent of realising he had stepped in a pile of faeces and was determining if he could still pull his foot out unsoiled. But when Narick's voice was finally heard, one would never have known.

"…That blasted Hellhound! Scuttling the ruins before I could arrive to take the relic!" he snarled through his teeth quite convincingly. "I had thought they were a worthy foe but rather than face me they decided to take the coward's way out!"

"Indeed, Master Narick! They knew they were no match for you, the pride of House Ambion!" Cecil quickly followed up his lord. "May the RDF ace rot in hell!"

"Yes, quite… I suppose I can still gloat to Vega of having been the one to seal her rival's fate," Narick sniggered with a smirk before turning his attention to his comm. "Come in, Team Hypnos. This is Team Ambion. How fares the battle?"

"…Still fighting…" came X-99's muffled reply and the noise of combat could be heard in the background. "Request assistance…"

"What?! You still haven't finished them off?! That ragtag Militia?!" Narick screamed, scarcely believing what he was hearing. "Don't tell me you're still fighting the same one!"

"It is the Militia ace…" X-99 confirmed coldly. "He will not be defeated so easily…"

"They're piloting Raijuu rejects! Gods! Do I have to do everything myself?" the nobleman sighed and slapped his throttle into gear. "Come, Cecil – House Ambion has no choice but to teach those incompetents how it is done!"

"Yes, Master Narick!"

Carried by the spinning propellers of their Sea Wargs, the bumbling pair swam back to the battle, never noticing the stray bubbles that had arisen from the abyss.

.

* * *

.

For the Rem Defence Force, distance was power. To strike your enemy while staying outside the range of their weapons and maintaining an impregnable defence was the military doctrine they had taken into the Lemurian Conflict – the first war in Rem's history. Nothing illustrated this more than the RDF's hulking Knight-class battleships and the heavily armoured Garm mobile suits they carried.

The Lux Imperial Army, on the other hand, valued mobility and versatility. Outmanoeuvre your opponent and strike like lightning, and you would never need fear superior numbers or armaments. It was a creed honed during the Outer Rim conflicts, borne in their fleet of Wyvern-class warships and peerless Warg mobile suits, and only enhanced by the addition of the Crow-class stealth cruisers.

Now, not for the first time, these two philosophies clashed on the battlefield.

"Keep alternating fire! If you're not blasting beams, you should be clobbering LIRA with missiles!" Admiral Turner ordered the RDF fleet, bellowing even as the Baselard's bridge flashed with light – pot shots from LIRA cruisers that managed to sneak past the barrage before a wave of missiles forced them to retreat.

"Admiral, we can't keep this up!" one operator beseeched the rear-admiral. They had been able to maintain this pattern for a time thanks to their newly equipped Hellfire missiles but the precious projectiles would soon run out and leave the First Fleet without their best answer to LIRA's Wargs which still had yet to be deployed.

"It's the only way unless you a want a repeat of the Fourth Battle for Lemuria!" Turner shot back before checking his chair monitor. "Be patient; they should be in position any moment now."

Across the battlefield, the Zodiac Union Militia's fleet of green Gladiator destroyers reached their destination unchallenged – the right flank of LIRA's fleet. While the RDF had kept LIRA occupied ship for ship, the agile Militia took advantage and charged ahead as planned, fanning out like an enclosing wing. LIRA had yet to respond, perhaps refusing to consider them threats due to the outdated destroyers' lack of beam weaponry, but if that was the case it was a mistake the Reaper would soon come to regret.

The bows of the Gladiators began to hatch open, their canopies splitting down the middle in two long doors like a banana peel before revealing an extensive deck crammed wholly with missile silos. Turner certainly did not remember that addition when he was a young crewman and had to admire the Militia's resourcefulness, not to mention the tactical prowess of their leader. According to Zora, she had purposely concealed the true nature of the redesigned destroyers until the time was right – when the Militia's decisive confrontation with the Reaper's fleet was at hand.

Like eight volatile wine racks, the Gladiators popped wave after wave of missiles into space and bombarded the LIRA cruiser guarding the Fourth Fleet's right flank. The Wyverns responded with an explosive point-defence light show, shooting the guided warheads down with rotating laser turrets mounted on its side, but the sheer number of missiles drove the vessel to evasive manoeuvres and it dived while releasing disruptive chaff shells. Its attached Warg squadron, previously on standby above, was called into action and they mopped up the remaining projectiles before making a beeline for the nearest Militia destroyer.

Now the bottom-half of the Gladiators unfurled and behind their bay doors were rows of Raijuu hanging from the deck underside like bats. The eyes of the green mobile suits glowed orange before they were released and thrusted out from beneath the destroyers towards the outnumbered Wargs, swarming them like a plague of insects. To their credit, LIRA's black wolves did not flinch in the face of the Raijuu's astonishing numbers and held faith in their superior equipment and discipline, sweeping through the mongrel mobs and blasting their beam rifles as one. The Raijuu fired back using revamped LIRA and RDF rifles but their incompatibility combined with the mobile suits' lower voltage output produced a less than optimal beam only effective at close range, allowing the Wargs to shrug off the plasma by the time it reached them.

However, what the Raijuu lacked in offence they more than made up for in speed – they were as agile as their foes, darting about and frustrating the Wargs' targeting systems. LIRA could not hope to stop them all and a dozen Raijuu slipped by, diving down and veering for the Wyvern's unprotected belly. They got close enough to aim and charge their rifles only for a second Warg team from the next ship to finally arrive and put them down with a hail of cavity-inducing red beams.

Leaving exploded green scrap behind them, the second Warg team joined their comrades at the massive mobile suit battle and more reinforcements soon followed as LIRA re-evaluated the Militia threat. Between the Raijuu's numbers and the Gladiators' transformation into missile batteries, the Wargs found themselves in a stalemate. The Wyvern at the right flank had the worst time as it struggled to fend off missiles from above, Raijuu on the starboard side, and the heavy beams of the Lionheart's canon in front.

"Not so mobile now, are you?" Admiral Turner grinned from the vantage of the Baselard. "Captain Hartmann, I think it's time we turned the screws on the Reaper."

"Yes, sir," Milos replied before bellowing to his bridge, "Begin relic particle cannon firing sequence!"

"Beginning particle cannon firing sequence!" Sofia repeated and addressed her subordinate operators at the weapons console one by one. "Reactor room, report!"

"Particle capture tank at maximum capacity!" came the first reply as the host of operators furiously worked their keyboards, checked monitors, and talked into their headsets. "Ready for release on command!"

"Filling barrel chamber with helium gas and refocusing electromagnets… Desired levels reached and stable!"

"Proton beams are primed and ready! All conditions for Plasma Wakefield Acceleration have been met!"

"Targeting computer has acquired LIRA Wyvern-class cruiser using radar... calculating trajectory… making final adjustments…" the operator on the fire-control system reported and finished with an excited shout. "Target is locked on! Probability reading is calculated to be 99.6 percent!"

"Excellent," Sofia nodded. "And the Militia?"

"The Militia have been informed and have cleared the kill zone!"

"Captain, the relic particle cannon is ready to fire on your command," Sofia followed protocol to the letter and informed her superior who paused to take in the moment by readjusting his cap.

"Alright… Let's see how this baby burns," Milos whispered before his eyes glinted from beneath the cap's visor and the order left his mouth with a roar. "_Gungnir, fire!_"

At Milos' command, glittering reactor particles were injected into the rear of the Lionheart's beam cannon and intense blue proton beams were simultaneously fired from holes in the back of the chamber. The beams travelled down the barrel in rapid pulses, ionising the helium into a fiery sea of blue plasma and creating terahertz frequency pulses of light – or an electromagnetic wake. Like surfers pulled into a series of ocean waves, the plasma wakefield accelerated the glittering particles down the barrel at extreme speed, changing the blue plasma to purple, and electromagnets along the inside focused them into a single beam.

Outside the Lionheart, there was a blinding flash as the relic particle cannon discharged its contents at the speed of light, reaching the other side of the battlefield and striking its target in an instant. The Wyvern cruiser never saw the purple beam coming until the very end when the kinetic energy of the subatomic particles pierced through the length of its hull and gutted the warship in spectacular explosive fashion. The explosion and resulting shockwave were so intense and far-reaching it caught even distant Wargs in its wake, snuffing out their confused pilots like candles while those who survived wondered why their ship had seemingly self-destructed.

Mere seconds had passed since Milos gave the order to fire and the speechless captain watched along with the Lionheart's similarly open-mouthed bridge crew at the destruction the Gungnir particle cannon had already wrought on their enemies. The silence was palatable and only broke when Sofia finally spoke up.

"Apparently, this baby burns like Hell, captain…"

Milos stared at his XO like she had grown another head and one couldn't tell if he was still shocked by the Gungnir or the fact Sofia had made a joke.

"…I guess those R&D eggheads really did do their homework," the captain finally muttered and leaned back in his seat where he adjusted his damp cap. "Not bad for a prototype. Speaking of which, give me a sitrep."

The operators finally tore their eyes away from the main monitor and reported, masking their shock as best they could.

"Particle capture tank has been completely depleted…"

"The barrel overheated but within predicted parameters… No misalignments detected."

"Initiating cooling measures. Normal plasma beam operations expected to return in ten minutes."

Officially, this was also the Gungnir particle cannon's first test firing after having been installed in secret aboard the Lionheart while at Colony Zero. Heavily redacted reports of small-scale experiments told the crew what to expect from transforming their beam cannon into a particle accelerator but it had been anyone's guess what the actual results would look like. Judging by the hushed voices of the operators as they dissected the data flooding in, the Gungnir had more than proven itself as the newest weapon of mass destruction in Lemurian Conflict.

"To think the Lionheart had the capability for such a weapon…" Sofia shook her head, astounded. "Whatever relic inspired the Gungnir must have been something else…"

"Don't forget the Lionheart's fusion reactor," Milos added. "Whatever particles it emits, they just punched LIRA in the brain… What are they calling them again?"

"Pandora Particles," the XO informed him. "Or PP."

Someone on the bridge snickered and Sofia quickly rounded on them with a roar to get back to work just before Admiral Turner appeared on the monitor.

"Excellent work, Lionheart. Not only did you hammer LIRA and open up their wing, you proved R&D's new toy actually works…" the bearded man exhaled with disbelief before grinning. "…I have got to get me one of those particle cannons. Soon, every ship in the fleet will have one."

"Don't count your chickens yet, Admiral," Milos warned him. "The Gungnir depleted all its PP and left our cannon offline for ten minutes."

"I see. Sounds like R&D still has to iron out some wrinkles," Turner nodded and stroked his beard before his expression did a double take. "Pee-_what?_"

"Admiral, the Militia has regrouped and is preparing to flank the next LIRA ship in line," Sofia interrupted and used her commanding presence to thoroughly squash any ill-disciplined laughter. "Shall we join them as planned?"

"Go. When it comes to the Reaper, we must push our advantage when we can."

"With all due respect, Admiral, LIRA's stealth ships have yet to reveal themselves," Milos cautioned. He had hoped they would appear once the Militia had made their attack but still had seen neither hide nor hair of the deadly cruisers that had already decimated the First Fleet once before.

"I know but our probes and infrared sensors have detected nothing so far," said Turner, speaking of the new countermeasures invented by R&D which the fleet had deployed just before the battle started. "We can't miss this chance to take out the Reaper, Milos."

"Understood, admiral. Lionheart, moving out!"

The admiral disappeared and the monitor reverted back to the distant lights of the space battle unfolding against the stars. While Sofia barked orders and made sure they were going in the right heading, Milos rested his chin on his fingers and stared out into space. The veteran soldier's gut told him the Lunar Fox was out there... but where? The infrared probes detected nothing above, below or to their rear, the Fourth Fleet was already in front, and Undine was to their right.

The captain's dark eyes swung to the left, finding nothing at first, until he spotted a tiny white object moving in the distance.

"Commander Gabriel… What is that?"

"Undine's moon," Sofia replied with a glance before turning back to her monitor. "Coming up on orbit."

When the XO finally realised the gravity of her superior's question she whipped back around, her calm features reeling, and discovered Milos' eyes widening with her. The truth dawned on them both and their faces paled.

"Oh my god…"

.

* * *

.

"Look at that view, Ursula," a familiar voice gushed over the comm channel. "Are you not filled with a sense of awe at the very sight?"

Presumably, the sight in question was the planet of water, Undine, whose cerulean sphere was centred on Vega's monitor with the bright Zodian Sun in the background. Thin red and blue beams crisscrossed in front of the ocean world, as did a steady stream of tiny explosions, but the battle in the distance did not appear to concern the Scarlet Wolf in the slightest. In fact, the masked woman's red lips seemed to curve with amusement.

"If you're referring to Undine, I might feel something if we weren't about to sortie," Ursula's cynical voice caused Vega to smile and the brunette's portrait appeared onscreen where she eyed her leader with suspicion. "Did you know we were headed for Undine, major? And that the RDF would already be here?"

En route to Arcturus, the Reaper had ordered the Fourth Fleet to change course at the last moment, taking them in the opposite direction and around the Zodian Sun. Having found the Star Map herself, it was not out of the question that Vega had already guessed their destination beforehand yet somehow the Blue Crow's bizarre orders to hide behind Undine's moon had not triggered even a twitch in her finely chiselled eyebrows – and now Ursula knew why. While the fleets battled it out over Undine, its moon had carried the Blue Crow to the RDF flank unnoticed, concealing the stealth ship from their probe and infrared countermeasures.

Now, the Crow peeked out just from behind the moon, ready to strike. The Space Wolves had already been deployed and the Fenrir stood on the bow of the ship with its pack spread out behind it.

"My dear Ursula, how could I possibly know? I may claim to be many things but a psychic is not one of them," Vega chuckled. "Perhaps you should be asking General Cypher? This seems far beyond an educated guess; did he perchance enlist the services of an Ouija board?"

"As a former member of intelligence, I suppose the Reaper must have his sources…" Ursula ignored her joke and muttered, adding, "…As must you."

Vega said nothing and the conversation abruptly ended when the other Space Wolves joined the comm channel.

"Major, will this really work?" Pavel asked, a hint of trepidation in his voice. "The battle is so far away…"

"How dare you doubt Lady Vega, Pavel!" Charlotte snapped, leaping to her idol's defence before smiling sweetly and waving to her. "Make sure you watch me, Lady Vega – I'm even better than before!"

Vega waved back with a chuckle, never noticing the click of Ursula's tongue.

"Don't sweat it, Pavel," Luke assured the older man. "Trust me; this will be a blast!"

"This is not an amusement park ride, Lieutenant Valorie," Ursula let off some steam and chastised him. "Need I remind you the RDF Relic Hunters are out there and just took out the Sebastian?"

"Captain Roland is correct," the authoritative voice of Commodore Sparrhorn entered the channel and silenced the Wolves. "Until we know the full extent of the RDF's new technologies, assuming there are more, we should proceed with caution. Our only consolation is that they appear to be unable to fire their new weapon consecutively."

"Quite a fascinating weapon, would not you agree?" Vega mused, showing no hint of sympathy for the Sebastian's destruction. "It appeared to be a beam yet it was nigh instantaneous and left damage dissimilar to plasma... Kinetic energy? Particles? Did they convert their cannon into a makeshift particle accelerator? It makes me curious what other tricks the Relic Hunters may have up their sleeves since our last meeting…"

"_Oh_ _no_, Vega… There will be no 'maverick' stunts from you while we're under the Reaper's command! Not when I'm the one who has to deal with that devil…" Sparrhorn suppressed a groan and would have lectured the ace about discipline – a futile effort, he knew – but was diverted by a message off-screen. "…That was General Cypher. Change of plans, Vega – we target the Militia first before moving on to the RDF. Can you do it?"

"You underestimate me, commodore. Nothing is beyond the power of my Fenrir now," Vega responded with an ominous smile and proceeded to open her commlink so she could notify her pack. "Buckle up, Space Wolves… We're going in."

On the bow of the Blue Crow where the Fenrir stood, the red mobile suit spread out its arms and its armour transformed into the dark maroon of its Gravity Mode. From there, Vega concentrated and expanded her invisible gravity field outward until the Blue Crow, the Space Wolves, and even stray moon rocks were encompassed in its power. Willing them all forward, they fell out of the shadow of Undine's moon and descended on the faraway battle together, bracing as they closed the distance with incredible acceleration.

"Good god…!" Pavel managed to exclaim between breaths. "We're really falling!"

"I told you!" Luke reminded him, whooping with exhilaration. "Nothing beats the thrill of a Gravity Fall!"

"Amazing… Amazing, Lady Vega!" Charlotte screamed before moaning with pleasure. "Oh, this feels even better than I imagined!"

"Do you have to be so suggestive?!" Ursula snapped even as the g-forces pushed the woman back in her seat and her eyes were drawn to several blips on her radar. "Militia Gladiators are within range – they haven't noticed us!"

"Vega, fire-control is linking you with the targeting coordinates as they calculate!" Commodore Sparrhorn notified the ace and held on to his cap. "Do it!"

"Understood!" the Scarlet Wolf answered and technopathically filtered the information flooding in with a predacious grin.

The Blue Crow slowed its descent and pivoted as Vega tweaked the gravity field, lining up the Fenrir's blinking targeting reticule with fire-control's coordinates until they snapped together. While the warship's underside buzzed and glowed with surging power, the Scarlet Wolf made a flourish of holding out the Fenrir's hand as if pointing a gun just as the cannon fired a heavy beam into space like a long red arrow. It hit its mark, penetrating the Gladiator's bow from above and igniting its munitions before bursting out its belly with crimson fanfare, causing a blistering explosion that transformed several unsuspecting Raijuu into misshapen balls of collateral damage.

The shocked Militia reacted immediately with evasive manoeuvres but the Blue Crow was already on the move as the Fenrir rotated the stealth ship to its next target with the aid of gravity and continued to roll the ship even as its cannon discharged. The sustained beam swung like a gigantic plasma sword, cleaving through two ships and burning dozens of Raijuu in its wake before landing on a third ship which overcooked to melting point. The surgical trail of destruction looked like fireworks in space, forcing the surviving Militia into a retreat and buoying LIRA's Fourth Fleet.

"After them, Space Wolves!" Vega howled and pushed on her controls. "The hunt is on!"

The Fenrir reverted back to its red coat, dispelling its gravity field and releasing the Blue Crow to move on its own power before the Scarlet Wolf led her pack into the fray. The elite pilots swept through the enemy with the other Warg squadrons from the Fourth Fleet close behind, leaving another trail of charred Raijuu parts in their wake and throwing the Militia into disarray. The Blue Crow supported them from the rear, taking advantage of its stealth to snipe the remaining Gladiators one by one as they tried to flee to the safety of the RDF line.

"I won't go easy on you just because you're a bunch of pathetic Raijuu!" Charlotte yelled and punched her throttle. "Not when Lady Vega is watching!"

With beamsabre and rifle in hand much like her beloved idol, the Scarlet Cub took off and propelled her Warg into enemy fire. Proving herself a worthy successor to the name, she weaved through the orange web of flying plasma with ease, aiming her rifle in mid-flight and wasting half her attackers without missing a shot. Having sown fear and confusion among those left alive, Charlotte closed in armed with only a beamsabre and her remarkable agility as she made short work of the rest.

"Did you see me, Lady Vega?!" the prodigy cried after eviscerating the final Raijuu into pieces. "They were only Raijuu but I can almost take out a whole squadron by myself just like you!"

"Yes, I did see, Charlotte," Vega replied while calmly slicing up several Raijuu who had ganged up on the Fenrir. "I knew I had chosen well – the day we met was destiny!"

"Oh, Lady Vegaaaa~"

"Shut up!" Ursula screamed, interrupting their little moment with an apathetic stare. "If you're both done playing house, can you please shoot something?"

"Leave it to me, captain!"

Pavel rushed forward in his Warg which brandished a black shield. LIRA pilots usually took pride in using the agility of their Wargs to dodge beams but after one too many suicidal orders given to him by prejudiced superiors, Pavel had appropriated an RDF shield and made it his own. Demonstrating the deadly combination of Rem defence and Lux speed, the Warg charged directly at his opponents and blasted them with plasma without fear of injury. It was a straightforward tactic but highly effective – particularly when supported by a sniper.

"It never ceases to amaze me how you can lug that thing around," Luke complimented his comrade, picking off Raijuu with his new sniper rifle as they tried to surround Pavel. "You move even faster than I remember too."

"It's the new Nova g-suit. Like the major said, I barely feel anything at all."

"I know what you mean!" Charlotte added her two cents. "Thank you, Lady Vega; I'll cherish this suit forever!"

"You're very welcome but don't hesitate to ask me for a replacement. I actually ordered a few too many and the boxes are clogging up my quart–" Vega's confession was cut short when a bright light bore down on the Space Wolves and they dispersed just in time to see a heavy blue beam pass by. "What was that?"

"Another ship is coming to the Militia's aid... It's the Relic Hunter ship!" Ursula reported.

"Finally, a challenge!" Vega perked up and zoomed in on her monitor only to frown. "I don't see the Gundam… How unfortunate. Oh, but these are not ordinary Garms… They appear to be new models. Perhaps they can play with me while I wait for the While Hellhound…"

.

* * *

.

"They got us…"

The despondent whisper belonged to Admiral Turner who sat in the Baselard's captain's chair with his eyes closed. The routing of the Militia played out on the bridge's monitor but he did not need to see to know how it would end; soon, LIRA would be free to overrun the First Fleet. When the veteran's eyes opened again, he steeled his resolve and made the call he knew he had to make.

"Retreat…?!" Milos almost yelled before he lowered his voice and stared at bearded man on his chair monitor as they spoke on a private channel. "But admiral… the Orthrus and the Ganymede are still on Undine. If we retreat now, they won't have a safe route back into space; we'll be abandoning them to LIRA."

"I'm well aware, captain," Turner replied and stroked his beard. "We'll give them another hour. Until then, the Lionheart will cover the Militia's retreat and stall for time along with the rest of the fleet. I'll try and think of something in the interim… but I don't need to tell you this looks bad, Milos."

"Understood, admiral. We'll do our best… and thanks." Milos signed off with a nod and barked his orders with extra zest so as not to upset morale. "Prep the main cannon and sortie Team Orthrus! Our orders are to cover the Militia's retreat but there's no reason we can't clobber LIRA at the same time!"

.

* * *

.

"Team Orthrus, link up with the Militia's Raijuu teams and help cover their fleet's retreat."

Sofia relayed their orders through the comm while Ray boosted the Hermes ahead alongside the Brunhild and Jabberwock. The space in front of them lit up with constant mobile suit explosions – almost exclusively that of Raijuu judging by the sea of green scrap floating past their monitors – as the Militia were beaten back towards RDF lines. They only had three Gladiator destroyers left which were just barely staying afloat.

"They're getting massacred…" a horrified Alice stated the obvious.

"Yeah… I don't know how much help we're going to be…" Freya agreed, suddenly hesitant.

"Come on, girls! What happened to all that gusto before?" Ray needled them. "Our new Garms can handle this! We just need to secure those remaining Gladiators; combined with the Lionheart, the Raijuu should get the support they need to fight LIRA off."

"…Shut up, old man! You can't tell me what to do!" Freya huffed but she sounded much more like herself.

"She says it's worth trying," Alice translated much to the Diva's ire. "I agree."

The pair signed off and Ray chuckled out of earshot only to stop when he realised Commander Gabriel was still on the line.

"Mr Mercury… there's something else," Sofia's tentative tone surprised him. "The Militia have reported sightings of a red mobile suit…"

There was a long pause but Sofia didn't hear any retching.

"Mr Mercury? Do you copy? What is your status, Hermes?'

"…I… I can see her…"

"What?"

"She… She's already here…!"

Sofia quickly had the operator tap into the Hermes' camera and saw it for herself. An unmistakable red dot in the distance of space was winding its way towards the Hermes, slaying Raijuu left and right as it grew in size until the Fenrir of the Scarlet Wolf was revealed. Almost at once she heard Ray's breath sharpen, like he was hyperventilating, and the operator sounded the alarm.

"Mr Mercury's heart rate is increasing rapidly – he's panicking!"

"Come in, Mercury! Do you read?!" Sofia began shouting into her microphone. "Say something, god damn it!"

The demon commander's voice assaulted Ray's eardrums but even she could not break him from his paralysis. As much as the former ace tried to get a hold of himself, his muscles tensed, his hands sweated and trembled, and the visor of his helmet began to fog up as his breath worsened. He had become a prisoner of his own body – and his past.

Memories began to flash by, brought on by the sight of that red suit. His old Garm team, long dead – their screams echoing in his skull as their Garms were disembowelled and strewn across space. The perpetually empty bottle and the vomit-filled gutter – his new friends who always promised to make the pain go away. Finally, the never-ending nightmares of the Fenrir hunting him down – relentless, terrifying dreams he knew only one way to wake up from.

Death. To let the Scarlet Wolf do what she should have done two years ago. And now Ray had his chance. The nightmare had become reality and his salvation – his penance – was mere moments away. All he had to do was let it come to pass…

"Mercury! Focus on my voice!" Sofia's voice grew desperate as she tried to get through to him. "Don't let it end this way – you survived for a reason! Remember your training! Remember why you stepped back into that Garm!"

The commander's words jarred something in Ray's memories and he flashed back to their time in the VR relic together. Day after day, he fought the Fenrir, puking his guts out until he could stand the sight of it. Sofia watched over him like a drill sergeant, breaking and remoulding him back into form and then some. On their last session before R&D appropriated the relic, after witnessing all his embarrassing fear and retching close up, Sofia finally asked why Ray had come back to the RDF. He remembered his answer…

"_So I can finally wake up from this nightmare."_

"Wake up, Ray!"

Ray's body suddenly fell back under his control and he jerked his piloting stick with a primal roar. The Hermes' thrusters burst with blue fire, throwing the mobile suit up and out of the way just as the Fenrir charged beneath, swinging its red beamsabre. The Scarlet Wolf slowed to a stop in the distance, perhaps perplexed by the blue Garm's unexpected vigour, and Ray took the opportunity to catch his breath.

"…Are you back with us, Mr Mercury?" Sofia appeared and asked although judging by her good-humoured red eyes she already knew.

"I'm back commander… thanks to you," Ray replied and managed a cheeky grin as his heavy breathing slowly returned to normal levels. "…And did I hear wrong or did you just call me by name?"

"You were obviously dreaming, Mr Mercury."

"If you say so, commander."

Ray turned his eyes back towards the Fenrir which appeared to be studying the Hermes before it made another run – which it promptly did with a burst of red fire.

"Ray! Are you okay?" Freya showed up onscreen and asked followed by a similarly worried Alice as their Garms floated nearby.

"Be careful, Ray!"

"I'm just peachy, since you asked," the ace declared confidently while firing up his thrusters and taking off. "And don't worry; I've got this!"

"Yeah, right – I've heard that one before!" Freya shot back, thinking of a certain Blonde Hellhound. "In case you've forgotten, Ray-Man, that's Vega Aurelia!"

The Pink Diva's warning fell on deaf ears and the Hermes met the Fenrir in battle to a hail of beams. But to the girls' surprise, Ray wasn't blown to bits; in fact, he was keeping up with the Scarlet Wolf as they danced around each other. The blue Garm's multi-directional thrust bounced it around space like a sizzling pinball and led the Fenrir on a wild chase while plasma bursts from its twin rifles kept the hungry wolf at a safe distance.

"I knew it – you weren't in my head for two years for nothing!" Ray shouted, grinning and sweating even as red beams whizzed by the Hermes. "You like playing with technopaths? Well, let's play!"

"Whoa… Ray-Man is back?!" Freya gaped and got ready to join in the fight.

"Don't forget we a have a score to settle too, Ray; we'll help," said Alice, staring down her scope as she tried to keep up with the duelling pair.

"Not yet!" Ray stopped them. "If we push her too much and she switches on Gravity Mode, we're done for! Instead we'll appeal to her pride and challenge her one at a time!"

"Drawing out the fight and exhausting the Fenrir's battery until Laura gets back, giving her an advantage," Alice finished for him and nodded. "I approve, Ray-Man."

"Seriously? Will she really fall for that?" Freya's brow furrowed, sceptical.

"Trust me! With our new Garms, we're like new toys for the Scarlet Wolf," Ray grunted from the pull of g-forces and added with a whisper, "I know I can't beat you… but I know someone who can."

.

* * *

.

"Interesting…" Vega calmly murmured as the navy blue Garm buzzed about like a bee and harried her with twin rifles. "This appears to be the same mobile suit from the abandoned colony… but the pilot has either changed or vastly improved."

The slick Garm darted from point to point with the Fenrir a fraction of a second behind, blazing plasma at the red suit while facing backwards. Having admired their dexterity, skill and spatial awareness long enough, Vega turned the tables with a grin and flashed ahead of the Garm, closing in as she predicted the pilot's evasive pattern with frightening accuracy. But the RDF pilot held their nerve, firing at point blank range instead and goading the Fenrir to dodge every shot if she wanted to keep this up.

The Scarlet Wolf's smile only widened.

"Not an amateur, are you? Strange that I have neither met nor heard of an RDF pilot of your calibre before this… I would have remembered." Vega's curiosity lasted only a short moment before she began slashing away at the offending plasma with an eye on the blue Garm next. "Still, you do not hold a candle to the White Hellhound…"

With blurred strikes of its red beamsabre, the Fenrir thrashed its way past the azure barrage mid-flight and got in the Garm's face. Poised to tear through its blue armour, Vega was only stopped by a premonition of danger and whirled around in time to deflect the scorching beam from a sky-blue sniper. The noblewoman quickly fired back only to be thwarted when a shield absorbed her shot and the pink Garm wielding it stormed in her direction.

"The Hellhound's packmates? So you survived," Vega praised her enemies even as their double team tactics forced the Fenrir into a momentary retreat. "How nostalgic. Your skills have only improved since Lemuria and these new Garms certainly compliment your styles. I really shouldn't… but while I wait for the White Hellhound, I suppose I can play with you."

Vega's hand moved to her throttle to counterattack but a series of space quakes suspended the battle and the participants were showered with light. The Militia's remaining three Gladiator-class destroyers had all exploded, transforming into three giant fireballs that flared with even more eruptions as their munitions either detonated onboard or rocketed away. Flying out of the destruction, several Wargs regrouped and rallied to the Scarlet Wolf.

"Lady Vega!" The uncontainable voice of her protégé echoed on the comm.

"Oh my. Charlotte," the masked woman greeted her with a smile and a touch of disappointment. "I wasn't expecting you to be finished so soon…"

"I knew it! You were playing with your 'food' again, weren't you?" Ursula appeared onscreen and accused her with a pointed glare only for Vega to laugh. "You and your bad habits... What if the White Hellhound had shown up? The Fenrir needs to conserve its energy, major!"

Before Vega could retort, the Space Wolves swooped in and took over for her. Charlotte pursed the blue Garm, confounding them with her Scarlet Wolf-like tactics, while Ursula cautiously engaged the pink Garm and their familiar pilot. The last Wargs to arrive sniped at the sky-blue Garm while one defended them with their shield.

"Major, you should take the opportunity to change out your battery while you can," Pavel suggested, advancing on the sniper behind the safety of his shield.

"You're our trump card against the Hellhound after all," Luke added, hiding behind Pavel's Warg while he took pot shots. "We'll handle her pack!"

Vega found herself smiling with pride as she watched the Space Wolves tear into the Relic Hunters using perfectly coordinated teamwork.

"My… what a reliable bunch you've become," she chuckled with a sigh. "Very well… This is the Fenrir, returning to the Blue Crow. Try to not steal all the fun while I'm gone!"

The red mobile suit engaged its thrusters and departed the battle in a blue streak of fire, leaving the Wargs to finish what she had started.

"How dare you enjoy Lady Vega's attentions just because your Garm had a makeover!" Charlotte unloaded on the nimble blue Garm with a spray of plasma – both figuratively and literally. "I'll squash you like a bug and prove you're nothing but a second-rate pilot!"

.

* * *

.

The Warg on the Hermes' tail harried it with a vengeance. Ray couldn't explain it but it felt personal – like he'd stolen their girlfriend or something. It also threw the ace for a loop how similar their aggressive piloting style was to the Scarlet Wolf to the point they even dual-wielded a beam rifle and sabre.

"LIRA must have caught on to our plan because the Fenrir just left the field," Alice reported, taking no heed of Ray's strained features.

"Little busy here, Alice!" he replied through gritted teeth as the spiralling Hermes dodged another barrage of red beams. "Are all the Space Wolves like this one? What the hell have you been up against?!"

"No, I've never seen that one before... but I definitely know this one!" Freya yelled back, fighting her own battle against a familiar enemy. The Warg's pilot was not intimidated by close quarters combat and gave away no weaknesses or missteps for the Pink Diva to exploit. In fact, it felt like the Warg was probing the Brunhild for vulnerabilities and only its shield saved Freya from a few close calls.

"It would seem these Space Wolves don't die so easily," Alice agreed as the Jabberwock traded blows with their sniper. "And they brought friends this time."

"I swear their Wargs are performing better too," Freya muttered with a grunt. "Like they're different machines!"

"Well, we can play at that too – let's show them what our new Garms are made of!"

With that cry of bravado, Ray rolled the Hermes out of the Warg's line of sight and braced in his seat from the g-forces as the mobile suit exerted maximum operating performance. When the monitor finally stopped spinning, the Hermes was behind its pursuer and lining them up on the targeting reticule. Their pilot may be a Scarlet Clone, thought Ray, but the real thing was far scarier. However a Warg with a shield got in between his shot, giving the impression of a very hefty bear protecting its cub, and the RDF pilot quickly made his escape as he felt his hair stand on end.

"Well, so much for that…" Freya quipped before a voice on their comm sent them scrambling.

"_Clear the area, Team Orthrus! Hellfire missiles, firing!"_

The warning was followed by a cluster of projectiles climbing at Mach speeds before they separated and hunted down the Wargs. Caught between the heat seekers below and the beams of the Garms who had evacuated above, the Space Wolves retreated under the light of chaff flares. Blasting its beam turrets at the escaping Wolves for good measure, the Lionheart ascended and linked up with Team Orthrus.

"Thanks, commander…" said Ray, leaning back and catching his breath for a second time.

"Just don't let your guard down," Sofia replied. "I expect they'll be back before long."

"Any word from the Ganymede, Milos?" a frantic Freya asked while Alice listened in with interest.

"Negative. It must still be operating under the ocean," Milos answered with a frown, having asked for repeated updates from the radio operator. The captain and the orphans turned their collective attention to their monitors where Undine's peaceful blue sphere hung in the background, seemingly oblivious to the flames of war on its doorstep.

"Be safe, Laura…" they prayed.

.

* * *

**The conclusion to Episode Seven, Part C, will air next week... hopefully!**


	14. Episode 07 - Death at the Zodiac -Part C

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam.

Thank you LW for beta reading with me all week to get this out. Words cannot express the gratitude I have for all the help you've give me!

* * *

Gundam Gemini

Episode Seven

Death at the Zodiac

Part C

.

When the rumbling finally ceased and her eyes stopped spinning, Laura found the Orthrus lying in a pool of seawater battered but intact. Judging by that last earth-shaking tremor, the dome had just crash-landed onto the ocean floor which explained the sudden calm as it was transformed from rollercoaster ride to undersea coffin. Once she had confirmed her head was still screwed on properly, the technopath took hold of the controls and sat the Orthrus upright.

The high beams blaring from the Gundam's eyes swept across its pitch-black surroundings and revealed a half-submerged, claustrophobic chamber cluttered with floating debris as water seeped in through cracks in the bulkhead. The entire room on the monitor was off-kilter, tilted by the uneven seafloor the dome was resting on, and intermittent creaking and groaning could be heard all around as steel threatened to buckle under the intense water pressure. Amid the terrifying situation, Laura fortified her nerves with a long, deep breath before her purple eyes darted around the panoramic screen and that breath caught in her throat.

"Shana? Shana!"

The Orthrus leapt to its feet and the sudden redistribution of weight rocked the room but Laura barely paid it any mind as she screamed Shana's name. The unresponsive comm only buzzed and, finding no Raijuu, the Gundam swept aside debris and made waves as it splashed its way out into a flooded corridor. Fumbling through the dark, Laura found other side compartments and checked them as she moved down the passageway, all the while praying Shana's Raijuu had fallen into one like the Orthrus had. When she finally found the green mobile suit she cried out with relief.

"Shana!"

Unfortunately, Laura's fears were far from alleviated when she saw the state of the Raijuu. It had been crushed by a fallen bulkhead which had flattened the warped machine and trapped it facedown underwater. The technopath gasped and turned pale as she momentarily froze with shock; painful memories of the Death card and Tully tore through her mind like a hot knife, reopening old wounds and causing her to fear the worst.

That same dread propelled Laura into action and she grabbed the collapsed bulkhead with the Gundam's manipulators before slowly rolling the heavy slab off until it slammed into the water. Throughout her struggle, she called for Shana to answer but when she still heard no reply panic almost set in. The quivering pilot realised with a start that the Zodian's radio might be busted and quickly rested the Gundam's hands on the submerged Raijuu's misshapen body to form a technopathic connection. For one heart-stopping moment, Laura sensed nothing before a frightened voice called out to her and the woman's purple eyes went wide with alarm.

Moving with haste, Laura sat the Raijuu's torso up and leaned it against the wall, watching with horror as its chest drained liquid like a sieve. After securing it with one manipulator, she ripped the cockpit hatch off its hinges with the other and seawater vacated the cavity like a small flood. There was another anxious moment as Laura waited for signs of life to follow on her monitor, but a slender figure eventually clambered out and steadied themselves at the entry frame.

Laura finally sighed with relief; it was Shana. Her green g-suit was dripping wet and she was shielding her eyes from the Orthrus' bright lights but the girl was alive and well. However, their brief reunion was interrupted by another quake that caused the entire dome to shudder and groan, and was in turn followed by rising and choppy seawater. Thinking quickly, Laura had the Orthrus kneel and activated its cockpit door so that it swung open.

"Jump, Shana!" she cried and the Zodian leapt across the gap, landing and stumbling into Laura's arms before the hatch closed behind them. In a matter of seconds, the compartment outside was inundated with water until it reached the ceiling and the Orthrus was submerged in the cold embrace of the ocean once more.

"That was close…" Laura whispered, watching as the monitor blurred up with liquid before she checked on Shana. "Are you alright?"

The Orthrus' cockpit was large enough for two people but in the haste of Shana's rescue they had fallen back into the pilot's seat together with the girl landing on Laura's lap.

"I'm f-f-fine… t-thanks to you, L-Laura…" a pale-faced Shana managed to stutter through her helmet.

"God, you're shivering!" Laura exclaimed, grabbing her by the arms. "We've got to strip you out of that wet suit this minute!"

Shana's green eyes widened and her cheeks flushed.

"B-B-But…!"

"No buts! _Strip!_"

A minute later and a half-naked Shana had a thermal blanket draped over her shoulders while Laura adjusted the cockpit thermostat. The blanket was courtesy of Junko's foresight, the mechanic having stowed all her friends' cockpits full of emergency supplies after lamenting she couldn't help them while they were out fighting. She had concocted all sorts of outlandish situations in which they would thank her for the provisions including but not limited to being stranded on a deserted island. However, even her wild imagination could never have predicted that Laura would one day find herself entombed at the bottom of the ocean. At least the blanket was keeping Shana dry and decent, and the dark-haired beauty wrapped the foil material tighter around her body when she found Laura staring at her hidden curves.

"That's some interesting underwear…" the Gundam pilot commented, recalling Alice had something equally lacy.

"I-It's just something Zora pushed onto me!" Shana stammered her explanation as she blushed like a peach. "A-Anyway… thanks for saving me. I thought I was going to drown… or freeze to death…"

Seeing Shana's green eyes droop in such a Tully-like manner only encouraged Laura to be even more protective of her.

"Don't worry, you're safe with me now... I won't even let you catch a cold," Laura declared with audible defiance as she prepared to get the Orthrus moving again. "It would be tragic if we survived this only for you to die of pneumonia."

"You really think we'll survive?" Shana asked, leaning over the pilot's chair from behind. "The Orthrus won't make it to the surface by itself – not without my Raijuu."

"No, but I bet this underwater facility must have something we can use to get to the surface… and if not, there's always the relic."

On that note, Laura pushed on her controls and the Orthrus waded forward to the chime of its relic detection instrument.

The exploration of the sunken dome was painfully slow as the pair tried to conserve as much propulsion fuel as possible and they navigated the lopsided labyrinth one murky segment at a time. They made it back to the docking pool but as expected the exit had been obliterated by the crash and was blocked off by rubble. An inspection with their searchlights revealed bays for mobile suits and small ships but the Lemurians had left nothing behind that could be of use. Leaving empty-handed but not discouraged, Laura and Shana followed the sound of the relic detector instead and the growing technopathic waves led them deeper into the facility until they surfaced in a compartment untouched by seawater.

There, an imposing round hatch large enough for a mobile suit to pass through roused their suspicions and the Orthrus dripped with water as it approached the mysterious door.

"The relic is behind that hatch," Shana stated, having grown adept at reading the detector, before growing curious.. "...But how do we open it?"

"I've got the key right here," Laura boasted, cracking her fingers before trying to brute force the door open using the Orthrus' manipulators. But when the hatch wouldn't roll, give way, or generally budge in response to her gargantuan efforts, she promptly gave up with a sigh. "…Okay, not happening. Maybe if I beamsabre my way through…"

Shana rolled her eyes but smiled at Laura's ability to joke even in dire straits.

"Wait, what's that?"

Laura's gaze followed the Zodian's finger and discovered a light at the Orthrus' feet. Zooming in revealed it to be a wall console, presumably to be used by a person on the ground to open the hatch.

"It… still has power? Is there a fusion reactor that still works in this place?" Laura asked out loud and was reminded of the bunker on Lenos as she reached down with the Orthrus to make a technopathic connection before shaking her head. "…It's locked. I need some kind of passcode or key…"

To their shock, the console light suddenly turned green and machinery behind the wall began to rumble. The giant hatch in front of them stirred before gear-like teeth around its edges withdrew and the circular gate slowly rolled out of the way, exposing another layer of hatches behind it which also unlocked in turn. When the path was finally clear, flickering wall lamps illuminated the darkness and a long corridor graced their stunned eyes.

"…What did you do?" Shana asked, gaping at the Remian.

"Nothing…" said Laura, almost speechless as her stunned gaze bounced between the hatch console and Shana. "It said the Orthrus has authorisation…"

An eerie silence fell around the girls as they reconsidered their chosen course of action but the call of the relic prevailed and they pressed on in the Orthrus with heavy mechanical steps. At the other side of the corridor was a hexagonal chamber of immense proportions with a one-hundred-foot-high ceiling which peaked like a chapel. The steel walls were coloured laboratory white and lined with tiny observation windows and various pipes but it was the object in the centre of the room which caught their eye.

Encased in a giant glass tube filled with a viscous pink liquid was what appeared to be a white winged thruster pack. Four huge, tulip-like cone thrusters were mounted down the middle of the rectangular block in pairs while half a dozen wings fanned out on either side. The wings weren't long enough for it to be a flight pack but Laura was captivated by the relic not least because it appeared to be made out of Gundanium. She reached out with the Orthrus' hand to touch the glass and gasped when a technopathic connection formed.

In a matter of milliseconds, a well of information overloaded Laura's mind and she had to pause to process it. At the same time, an alarm wailed before the hexagonal chamber was suddenly bathed in flashing red light and the roof began to slide apart, uncovering a titanic grated ring surrounding a dark tunnel in the centre. Water started to flow from the outer ring in the ceiling, cascading down the walls like a waterfall and flooding the chamber.

"Laura…" Shana whispered, watching the rising waters with concern.

"It's okay," said technopath, opening her eyes and giving the Zodian a knowing grin. "This is how we get out of here."

Once the chamber was filled to the brim with crimson-lit water, the alarm ceased and the giant glass tube in the centre began to sink into the floor. The viscous pink liquid that had presumably safeguarded the relic was released and mixed with the seawater before dissipating like a cloud of smoke, leaving only its white rectangular artifact floating in the water. Laura pivoted the Orthrus around so that its back faced the relic and the object was drawn to the Gundam by some unknown magnetic force.

Observing through the rear camera, the tongue-tied women witnessed the relic abruptly change shape so that it interlaced perfectly with the Gundam's existing thrusters before the axillary equipment attached with a clunk. A window of scrawling text immediately popped up on the Orthrus' monitor as its Relic Core processed the treasure trove of newfound data and Laura linked with the OS. Scanning the data both outwardly and inwardly, the technopath found the info she was looking for and the concluding program onscreen finished with the exact same words.

"Pulse Mode…" Laura whispered and turned to Shana with a widening smile. "Hold on to your panties, Shana. It looks like the relic pulled through..."

The raven-haired Zodian cocked her head and followed the pilot's gaze to the dark tunnel directly above them. Unbeknownst to her, the Orthrus' armour shifted from white to true blue at Laura's command and its newly adorned wings unfurled behind its back. The tulip thrusters in between glowed with blossoming power, boiling the water beneath the Gundam before the machine blasted off on pillars of cyan fire.

Shana screamed and grabbed onto Laura as they both battled the sudden g-forces. But as the Orthrus shot through the tunnel like a blue comet before erupting from a hatch on the dome's roof in a burst of bubbles, the White Hellhound could not stop grinning.

"Pulse Mode rocks!" she howled and the Orthrus launched back towards the ocean's surface like a rising star in the deep.

.

* * *

.

Things were not looking up for the Militia.

What had started off as a simple relic extraction operation had devolved into a running undersea battle when the Ganymede had been ambushed by not one but two LIRA cruisers. Like a game of two cats and one mouse, they each hid in the darkness of the ocean's twilight zone, trading as many torpedoes as there were near misses. If that wasn't bad enough, squadrons of Lycans and Sea Wargs prodded their perimeter, whittling down Team Banshee's already depleted numbers as they safeguarded their mothership's location.

"Don't take them on alone! Regroup, stay in the shadows and pick your battles!" Ignacio ordered, sweat dripping from his furrowed brow as the Raijuu retreated from another assault. "Ban! Come in, Ban! Where are you?!"

Sheeban didn't respond but Ignacio had no doubt the Militia's ace was still alive and kicking; as good as the leader of Team Hypnos had been in their past encounters, they had yet to beat the Banshee one-on-one. However, even Ignacio knew that unless something changed – and soon – they were going to lose this fight. Meanwhile, they had been unable to contact Shana or Hellhound since the Lemurian dome had gone kaput; for all they knew, the two were already dead.

"Not that Hellhound would be much help here…" Ignacio muttered with a touch of sorrow only for his expression to switch to one of surprise when his sonar started to ping wildly. "What the hell?!"

"Something is rising from the abyssal zone, and fast!" the Ganymede's sonarman reported, his face contorting with disbelief as he listened in on his headphones. "It… It's a mobile suit!"

"The Orthrus!" Zora cried, smiling from ear to ear.

Sure enough, the blue object ascending from the ocean depths like a shooting star was the Orthrus Gundam. No longer a dead weight, the winged hellhound was propelled from behind by a mighty stream of cyan bubbles and the ocean parted in its wake. With the swiftness of lightning and only a stubby cyan beamsabre, it tore through three Lycans in a row and doubled back before its frothing victims had even succumbed to the deep with a final fizzle. The Gundam's new coat had glowed with an electric blue as it moved throughout the brief skirmish and Ignacio's eye were nailed wide with shock when it suddenly stopped in front of his Raijuu.

"H-Hellhound? You're alive?!" the Zodian managed to splutter, incredulous. "How?!"

"Gee, lemme think… I guess I remembered how to dogpaddle?" Laura quipped with a vengeance and took great pleasure in seeing Ignacio's dumbfounded expression.

"Laura! I knew you wouldn't go down so easily," Zora appeared onscreen with a hearty grin. "And Shana? Is she safe?"

"I'm right here, Zora," Shana answered before realising how little she was wearing and hid back behind Laura's seat while blushing like a tomato. "I-It's not what it looks like!"

The pirate captain raised an eyebrow along with the rest of the bridge but only chuckled.

"As much as I'd love to hear that tale, I take it you found the relic?"

"Pulse Relic. It looks like the Lemurians were experimenting with advanced propulsion systems on that dome," Laura nodded and tapped her keyboard rapidly, analysing and calibrating Pulse Mode as they spoke. "We've fulfilled our mission, Zora; now what do we need to do so we can get out of here? I'm worried about the fleet."

"Aye, me too," Zora murmured, folding her arms and biting her lip. "But the Ganymede can't surface like this; we need to sink at least one ship…"

"One ship? Leave it to me," Laura grinned and punched her throttle before giving Ignacio one last smirk. "Catch you later, slowpoke!"

The Orthrus took off and disappeared back into the deep, blinding the Raijuu with a cloud of cyan bubbles from its new thruster pack. Where exactly its pilot was headed without knowing the enemy's whereabouts was a mystery until Shana realised how Laura had found the Ganymede to begin with.

"Did you turn on your active sonar?" she demanded, raising one of her chiselled eyebrows. "They'll see us!"

"Don't worry; even if they know where we are, they'll never hit us," the technopath replied coolly and winked at her passenger. "But I'm sure as hell going to hit them."

To demonstrate her point, Laura pushed the Orthrus into a dive and savoured the rush of speed she had been missing with a whoop while Shana squealed. In Pulse Mode, the Gundam was given extremely hydrophobic properties as water simply flowed around its blue armour without resistance. Meanwhile, the relic's flexible wings folded back and steered the mobile suit by acting like rudders. The new tulip thrusters, combined with the Gundam's own, were propelling the Orthrus at three times its normal speed and when Laura checked she discovered Pulse Mode was also incredibly energy efficient unlike Solar Mode.

So when her sonar pinged back the presence of several Sea Wargs skulking close to the Ganymede's perimeter, Laura honed in on them at full tilt like a shark.

"Master Narick, I'm picking up the enemy's active sonar!"

"So, they've finally given up, eh?" Narick simpered in the cockpit of his Sea Warg, still basking in the glow of his recent victory. "Good! I was getting sick of all this flailing in the dark."

"No, it's coming in too fast to be the Militia ship…" Cecil cautioned his master before crying out. "It's a mobile suit!"

"_What?!_"

Immediately, Narick ceased combing back his blonde locks and craned his neck over the monitor. When he spied the blue apparition glowing in the distance, the young scion's stomach churned and he shook his head. His worsening feelings of impending doom only grew with the mobile suit's distinctive figure until there was no mistake.

The White Hellhound had come back from the dead – had risen from its watery grave with a vengeance – and the snarling beast was coming straight for him.

"N-No… No!" Narick screamed with wide-eyed terror. "Shoot! Shoot! Don't let it near me!"

The four Sea Wargs unloaded their gauntlets and a dozen torpedoes burst in the direction of the Orthrus. While they easily locked-on to its active sonar, catching the electric blue Gundam was another matter entirely. Using the sheer power of Pulse Mode, the Orthrus simply buzzed around the barrage and sent them tumbling in the wake of its jet stream before half the projectiles exploded. The surviving torpedoes eventually circled about and followed behind their target – back towards Team Ambion.

Wielding only its stout beamsabre, the wily Orthrus stabbed two Sea Wargs in quick succession, rending their curved armour as it passed. Bubbles exploded from their ruptured ballast tanks, sending the Wargs spinning out of control... and pinging the sonars of the inbound torpedoes. A frozen Narick could only watch as his remaining men transformed into exploding clouds of foam in front of him and grunted when the shockwaves slammed his Sea Warg back.

But it was the rapid pinging of his sonar like a death knell as the vengeful beast returned which finally broke what was left of Narick Ambion's sanity.

"_Noooooo!_" the scion shrieked and his eyes bulged out of their sockets as he swerved his Sea Warg around before the White Hellhound could make another pass "_Stay away!_"

"M-Master Narick! Wait for me!"

Seeing one panicking Sea Warg flee with its tail between its legs and another following close behind, Laura got the distinct feeling of déjà vu and her lips curved.

"You're not going to attack them?" Shana asked, almost feeling sorry for LIRA.

"Not yet… Wait for it…" the pilot whispered as they shadowed the Sea Wargs and soon enough a long whale-like shape materialised out of the darkness on the monitor. "…Jackpot!"

The stealth cruiser was truly impressive because despite the Orthrus' active sonar it remained undetected – no doubt due to the bubbled layer of material covering the ship that was absorbing the soundwaves – and Laura heard nothing to indicate it was even there. On the other hand, the Gundam's Pulse thrusters must have been like listening to a blaring rock concert for LIRA and they responded by launching torpedoes from every tube they had. The Orthrus surged in the other direction before trying to lead the torpedoes back into the cruiser, but as expected they deactivated once they left their preprogrammed kill zone.

"What now? You're not planning on sinking it with your beamsabre, are you?" Shana managed to ask while hanging on to the pilot's seat for dear life.

"No… I have a better idea," Laura grinned and opened her comm. "Ganymede, can you still see me? Try firing a few torpedoes at the Orthrus."

"Are you crazy, girl?" the operator snapped. "Do you want to die?"

"Don't worry, you won't hit me," the RDF ace said matter-of-factly. "I'm going to lead them straight to LIRA."

"Do it. Target the Orthrus," Zora ordered and chuckled with a show of white teeth. "I like this girl!"I have

The operator stared blankly at her captain, genuinely perplexed. "Isn't she a bit young for you?"

As requested, two torpedoes left the Ganymede with a quiet fizz and when Laura heard them on her sonar she let them lock on to the Orthrus. With the warheads right on her tail, the technopath rocketed straight for the LIRA cruiser on a collision course... only to pull up at the last moment. The hard-gs thrust Laura back into her seat and almost threw Shana across the cockpit but they held on as the torpedoes kept going and ploughed into the enemy vessel.

The twin explosions rocked its hull, literally making the ship jump on a pocket of air before it fell back down and collapsed under its own weight. As the scuppered cruiser snapped into two yawning black halves, an expanding cloud of bubbles rushed to the surface and enveloped the escaping Orthrus in rising white foam. Once the foam and shockwaves had dissipated, Laura and Shana looked back down to find the shattered remains of the LIRA ship sinking into the abyss – presumably along with the two fleeing Sea Wargs who were nowhere to be seen.

"Ganymede, this is Orthrus; the LIRA stealth ship and its Sea Wargs have been sunk," Laura reported with a glint of pride and shared a high five with Shana. "Returning to base."

"Not bad, Hellhound…" the operator replied with a shake of her head before opening a channel to the Militia's mobile suits. "Team Banshee, return to base! I repeat, get your shiny metal butts back here pronto; we're finally leaving this deathtrap of a planet!"

"You're a miracle-maker, White Hellhound," Zora told Laura with an awe-infused smile and chuckled. "Or should I say, Wet Hellhound?"

"Oh god…" Laura groaned and was forced to listen to the Hyena's infamous laughter all the way back. "I hope that doesn't stick…"

The Orthrus reboarded the Ganymede without incident along with the surviving members of Team Banshee, reuniting Laura and Shana with Ignacio and Sheeban at the same time. The Militia ace was able to return after his Lycan rival had absconded back into the deep, no doubt having learned of the LIRA cruiser's destruction. Laura would have boasted about Pulse Mode and her exploits but everyone was ordered to ready for an immediate launch back into outer space.

"Zora, all mobile suits have been secured and every section has reported in," the operator informed the bridge. "We're good to go!"

"Right, empty the ballast tanks and fire up our thrusters!" bellowed Zora. "We need to surface on the double!"

"Aye, all hands prepare for emergency surfacing! Hold on to your butts!"

High pressure air was forced into the Ganymede's ballast tanks, driving water out and returning buoyancy to the ship as it floated towards the surface in a hurry. Combined with the propulsion of its burning blue thrusters, the vessel pitched up and breached the ocean waves like a green whale only to emerge right in the middle of a storm. As the Militia discovered, Undine's storms were notoriously sudden and the wailing winds, crashing waves and blackened sky could last for days.

"But the weather was just fine before!" the operator cried over the battering of the rain outside and squinted when she thought she saw mountains in the distance. "Um... Zora? Zora!"

"Set the Ganymede's engines to full power!" the pirate captain took charge and hollered. "Inject the metallic hydrogen as soon as we get airborne and add some 'special juice' while you're at it!"

"What?! Are you insane?!" the operator rounded on Zora and argued. "That stuff is already dangerous but you want to mix it with MH? What if we blow up?!"

"Then we either sink to the bottom of the ocean or die in a blaze of glory!" the Hyena shot back and picked up her comm. "All hands, prepare for an emergency launch! And if you have a god to pray to, _start praying!_"

The operator threw up her hands in frustration but complied and the Ganymede's engine roared over the storm before the ship cut through the tempestuous waters in a burst of blue fire. Against the wind and rain, the jade vessel gathered momentum and used a large wave as a launchpad, pitching up and lifting off from the ocean surface. Once airborne, metallic hydrogen was injected into its blazing thrusters and ignited to produce a thundering azure inferno, sending the ship rocketing towards the black sky with a sonic boom.

The rapid vertical acceleration flung the bridge crew back as the g-forces pinned them to their seats but they had no time to rest. On the monitor, the mountains the operator had seen in the distance had grown dangerously close and revealed themselves to be colossal waves that threatened to swat the Ganymede out of the sky. Over the deafening roar of the ship's thrusters, Zora shouted a barely audible command and the blue flames ejecting from the exhausts glittered before detonating with bright purple combustion.

With sudden renewed impulse, the Ganymede climbed to extreme altitudes on a turbulent trail of violet conflagration and narrowly avoided being engulfed by the massive waves as it cruised past them like a hypersonic bullet. It went on to rip through the clouds, scorching a starry hole in the black storm and leaving a long smoky plume in its wake.

The last glimpse Undine had of the Ganymede was a shining amethyst star departing for the heavens.

.

* * *

.

As the Militia ship reached escape velocity and disappeared into space, a lone figure raised their fist at the hole in the sky and shook it.

"D-Damn you, Hellhound!"

Narick snarled and shivered as he clung to the remains of his escape pod. His Sea Warg had been caught in the blast of the Paris' destruction but thanks to his well-honed instincts of self-preservation he had managed to eject his pod before he himself was swallowed by the explosion. Unfortunately, the escape pod had been damaged in the process and alarmingly filled with water as it carried him upwards to relative safety. It broke apart soon after breaching the ocean surface, leaving the nobleman exposed to the open elements as he held on to a floating section of wreckage for dear life.

But even as the scion of House Ambion was pummelled by harsh winds and freezing waves, he still managed to find the time to swear revenge on the Gundam and its despicable pilot.

"C-C-Curse you, Hellhound! This won't be the l-last you see of N-N-Narick Ambion!" he stuttered, feeling his blood boil. His usually impeccable hair was a damp yellow mess but he barely noticed, such was his rage. "I s-swear… once I get off this g-godforsaken planet… I'm going to hunt you down like a do–…!"

The floundering Luxite was cut off when an intense hail of rain whipped him in the face. Before Narick could do anything more than sputter, he felt an ominous shadow fall over his rear. His bewildered gaze rolled back and he froze as he witnessed the stuff of nightmares – an impossibly high wave like a towering mountain range was rising right above the insignificant Ambion's head and blocking out the sky. Narick's jaw dropped and his lungs hesitated for a moment as he tried to convince himself it was all a dream before he began screaming his head off.

The leviathan wave would have squashed the man if rescue had not arrived just in time – a Sea Warg surfaced right next to Narick's flotsam and its cockpit hatch opened.

"Get in, Master Narick!" Cecil cried.

Narick wasted no time; he got to his feet and leapt into Cecil's cockpit, falling into the loyal manservant's arms and hugging him like a babe. The Ambion heir was still screaming when the cockpit hatch closed and the Sea Warg dived beneath the waves just before the tsunami would have flattened them. But their false sense of security was betrayed when the tsunami crashed onto the water's surface with a thunderous boom, creating a powerful shockwave which rippled under the ocean and carried the Sea Warg away with its current.

As Cecil lost control and his master screamed hysterically again, the Sea Warg was sent tumbling towards the seafloor. When the Caliban eventually picked up their distress signal and rescued them, Narick regurgitated the tale of how he had braved the terrible storm in his Sea Warg to save Cecil's life for which the retainer was forever grateful.

.

* * *

.

With the loss of the Militia's destroyers, the fleet battle over Undine had deteriorated into a last stand for the RDF as they struggled to hold their line. The heavy exchange of red and blue beams had shortened to rapid intervals as LIRA's Fourth Fleet closed the distance with a swarm of Lycans. The RDF's Garm teams rushed out to meet them this time, combatting the agile mobile suits above and below the bright lights of the warship firefight.

On the left flank, beaten back but not defeated, the Lionheart and the surviving Militia Raijuu held off the advancing Blue Crow and a horde of Wargs. The motley company of allies were all that stood between the First Fleet and total annihilation should LIRA flank their Knight-class battleships... and the Lunar Fox was well-versed when it came to wreaking havoc among the First Fleet. As if that wasn't enough, the Space Wolves' campaign against the Relic Hunters was heartened by the return of their re-energised leader and the Scarlet Wolf directed the onslaught.

"Surround the Relic Hunter ship! Wear them down!" Vega ordered, watching the Garms struggle against their superior numbers with curved red lips. "Far from honourable, I know… but all is fair in love and war!"

Team Orthrus defended the Lionheart as best they could but their exhaustion was starting to show.

"Alice, support!" Ray shouted from the Hermes, dodging fire underneath the Lionheart as he fended off both the Scarlet Cub and their guardian.

"I have my hands full, Ray!" Alice shouted back from Lionheart's stern, sniping with the Jabberwock as she guarded their rear. "Freya, we need you!"

"I'll be right there, Alice!" an impatient Freya tapped her foot inside the Brunhild and contacted the maintenance unit in the hanger bay outside. "Junko, are we done?"

"Almost! Oi, you lot! Detach those propellant hoses on the double!" Junko ordered as the maintenance unit performed their duties under pressure while floating around in grav-suits. "Okay, you're good to go, Freya! The Brunhild has been recharged, refuelled and equipped with a new rifle and shield!"

"Thanks, Junko! Brunhild, heading out!"

The pink Garm launched down the runway and soared out the bow of the Lionheart only to run straight into a familiar Warg.

"This one again!" the Diva grunted angrily and brought up her shield as it was blasted with red plasma. "You're on your own, Ray!"

"N-No problem! I've got this!" the former ace answered with false bravado and tried to pump himself up. "Come on, Ray-Man… I'm Ray-Man!"

With that war cry, the Hermes corkscrewed around the Vega-clone again but targeted their guardian this time, trying to get a shot around their shield. It might have worked had the Scarlet Cub not skilfully blindfired behind it, miraculously clipping the blue Garm's thrusters and sending Ray off course. He ended up colliding with the Warg's shield instead – or rather the pilot bashed him with it – causing the Hermes to almost stop cold, and a dazed Ray-Man could feel the dynamic duo already lining him up in their crosshairs.

"_Hellfire missiles, away!"_

Square pockets on the Lionheart's skirt opened and guided warheads sprung from the silos, chasing the Wargs away and saving his hide.

"Thanks, commander…" the warrant officer wheezed. "That pair is really something else…"

"It looked like the Hermes was hit; you should go for repairs," Sofia suggested, keeping her red eyes on multiple monitors on the bridge.

"No time. They'll be back and I can't leave them to Freya or Alice."

"Commander! The Militia are requesting support!" an operator interrupted them.

"Tell them to hang in there. We have our hands full enough as it is…" the Demon Commander murmured with a bite of her thumbnail and monitored the numbers of the Raijuu and the Lionheart's Hellfire missiles – both of which were depleting rapidly. "Captain, permission to let the Militia's damaged Raijuu aboard so our maintenance unit can perform repairs?"

"Granted. It's better than nothing; just run it by Chief Petty Officer Moses first," said Milos, wincing from another tremor as their hull was grazed by the Lunar Fox's beam cannon. "The Fenrir must have recharged by now… If she uses Gravity Mode before Laura gets back, we're done for."

"Captain, the Hermes is in trouble!" an operator reported.

The main monitor switched to the camera underneath the hull and the bridge collectively froze when they saw small explosions coming off the back of the blue Garm.

"Ugh! Looks like they got me worse than I thought!" Ray managed to report in as he tried to regain control of the flailing Hermes to no avail.

"_Hermes, watch out!"_

At Sofia's warning, Ray whipped around and spotted the Cub closing in with their beamsabre. He throttled the erratic thrusters to get away but the Hermes had developed a mind of its own and lurched towards the incoming enemy. It would have been the end of Ray-Man... had a white mobile suit not swooped in and kicked the Warg in the back, sending it flying.

"Laura!" Freya and Alice cried out as one. "You're late!"

"Sorry, I got held up by LIRA," Laura explained before contacting the Lionheart. "Ensign Hartmann, back and reporting for duty, captain."

"Good to have you back, ensign," Milos replied, smiling at the sight of his daughter despite his efforts to contain his relief. "Where's the Ganymede?"

"Up here, Captain Hartmann," Zora appeared onscreen and the Ganymede entered the fray from above the Lionheart, flying upside down so it could aim its turrets at LIRA. "Admiral Turner already informed me of what's happened. I swear, the Reaper will pay for the Militia's sacrifices in blood!"

"Then we're in agreement for once," said an unruffled Sofia whose hardened red stare was a stark contrast to the turmoil of emotions on the pirate's dark features. "I must say though, you got here astonishingly fast…"

"Oh, the Ganymede is actually capable of astonishing things once you know what buttons to push," the Hyena released a husky chuckle and winked at the commander, her mood suddenly brightening. "Perhaps we can push them together later, Sofia?"

"Ahem… Captain Adesina?" Milos quickly intervened before his XO stuffed the Ganymede full of Hellfire missiles. "The Lionheart must hold this position while the First Fleet begins their retreat. Can I count on you and the Militia to continue covering us? I know your Raijuu pilots must be exhausted but if they could stall for time…"

"Don't underestimate us, captain. We're all guerrilla fighters; we'll stall LIRA until the next cycle if need be!" Zora declared with a display of her furious fist before directing instructions offscreen. "I'll send Team Banshee to assist you with the Space Wolves. Meanwhile, I'll rally the Militia."

"We appreciate it," Milos nodded and turned back to Laura once Zora had signed off. "I hope you found something useful down on Undine because the Scarlet Wolf is out there and she's raring for a fight."

"Oh, I found something all right… Just leave her to me," Laura signed off with a cocky grin before checking in on the Hermes. "You okay, Ray?"

"Yeah… Cheating death is just one of my specialties, you know?" Ray caught his breath and joked before his expression turned solemn. "…Thanks, Laura."

"Just returning the favour… Well, except for the friendly fire part," the blonde joked back and opened a few more channels. "Heads up Junko, the Hermes is coming in for repairs."

"Roger that! And glad to have you back, Laura!" the chipper mechanic replied. "I have so much I want to ask you but first you need to go and rip LIRA a new one so promise you'll tell me later!"

"I promise," the technopath smiled and looked up just as Team Banshee arrived in their Raijuu. "Sheeban, I'm counting on you to help out the Lionheart and Team Orthrus."

"Understood," said Sheeban, but before he closed the channel the taciturn Militia ace surprised Laura by adding, "…Good luck, Hellhound."

"What? She's not sticking around?" a completely clueless Ignacio stopped and asked as he helped haul the Hermes to safety.

"Watch out, Laura," Ray warned. "The Fenrir used Gravity Mode in the ambush only to retreat... and if I know the Scarlet Wolf, odds are she's all charged up again and waiting just for you."

"Laura, you're not thinking of going solo again, are you?" Freya piped in once she realised what was going on. "We had a strategy! You know the Fenrir is too dangerous once it activates Gravity Mode!"

"That's exactly why I have to go alone; without the Hermes, our rate of success drops significantly," Laura argued, making final checks of her instruments. "But now... If I'm right, the Orthrus just might pull it off…"

"What the hell are you talking about you dumb blon–"

"Wait, Freya," Alice interrupted the riled up Diva. "Look at the Orthrus…"

The pinkette closed her mouth and brought the white Gundam up on the Brunhild's monitor for a closer inspection. In addition to its solar rifle and shield, the Orthrus was sporting a new six-winged thruster pack she had never seen before.

"Sorry, Freya," Laura whispered, hearing only silence from her friendly rival's comm. "I hate to say it but... where we're going… you won't be able to keep up."

With a push of her throttle, the Orthrus zoomed straight into the battle and the roaring blue flames of its new tulip thrusters drowned out Freya's cursing. The horde of Wargs, who had been made wary by the Ganymede's appearance and the Raijuu's sudden renewed vigour, wavered at the sight of the White Hellhound. Even the Space Wolves exercised caution – all except for one pilot. Charlotte, still stinging from Laura's humiliating kick, charged ahead of the pack and challenged Vega's so-called rival with her Warg.

"White Hellhound… So you're the one who made Lady Vega suffer!" the fearless prodigy snarled with naked resentment. "I won't forgive you!"

The Scarlet Cub closed in with a series of erratic movements, dashing her Warg up, down and side to side before getting right in the Gundam's face. Charlotte's beamsabre swung for the enemy's cockpit only for her Warg to zip past when the Orthrus dodged out of the way with a timely burst of its thrusters. But the Cub simply inflated her cheeks with a huff and only a second later she was back on the Hellhound's tail, firing her rifle. Like a savage bee, she buzzed around the Orthrus with blinding speed making extraordinarily quick and relentless passes. It was as if her Warg had a nonexistent turning circle, her tiny body fobbing off crushing g-forces that would normally send a regular pilot unconscious.

Faced with such an aggressive piloting style, most pilots might buckle under the pressure and make a fatal mistake but Laura kept her cool and evaded every attack using minimal bursts of her new thrusters. The Warg pilot might fight and dual-wield like the Scarlet Wolf but Laura had gone up against the real thing and this clone wasn't on the same level. However, her refusal to engage only seemed to make the enemy angrier and the Warg's performance increased dramatically, putting the Orthrus on the backfoot. Realising she had underestimated the enemy technopath, Laura admired their tenacity and she couldn't help but wonder – was this what Vega Aurelia had felt when they had first met on the battlefield?

But it was only for a moment.

"I don't know who you are…" Laura's brow furrowed with annoyance. "But I don't have time to waste with you!"

Her purple eyes darted about, following the Warg's nimble movements across the monitor before suddenly narrowing. With uncanny prescience, the Orthrus slammed its shield into the sprightly mobile suit on the next run, sending it veering off into space. Laura reflexively followed up by pointing her Solar Rifle at the easy target but a Warg with a shield got in her way and she eased off the trigger. Loathe to waste ammo or energy, the White Hellhound fired up her thrusters and continued on her way, leaving the enemies behind.

"Hey! Don't turn your back on me!" Charlotte cried as she tried to shake off her dizziness and was about to chase after the Gundam when her comm activated.

"Stand down, Charlotte," a cool voice instructed.

"Lady Vega? But…"

"That's an order."

Something in Vega's voice gave Charlotte pause – something she realised she had never heard before.

Excitement. True, uninhibited exhilaration. As if the Scarlet Wolf's mask had slipped away just a little.

"All of you… Don't interfere," Vega went on to warn every Warg on every channel as she licked her red lips. "The White Hellhound is mine."

The Fenrir's exhausts erupted with crimson flames, signalling her presence to the Orthrus on the opposite end of the battlefield and they instantly transformed into red and blue trails of light on a fated collision course. The fighting Wargs and Raijuu parted in their wake as if subconsciously scurrying from danger, and as if by some unspoken pact the destined rivals pulled up at the last second before they met in the middle. Like a pair of soaring eagles, they rocketed away from the battle and circled one another, intertwining the red and blue pillars of thruster contrails beneath them as they waited for someone to make the first move.

"You kept me waiting, Hellhound," Vega grinned and savoured the moment. "Now… entertain me."

"You probably think I'm here to play with you," Laura guessed and gave a smile of her own. "But I'm not going to be drawn into your games – not this time!"

Right before Vega's eyes, the Orthrus began to change colours from white to blue from its armour down to even its rifle and shield. Gundanium equipment was the first thought that came to the masked woman's fascinated mind – perhaps a composite considering their Remian designs – but it was the thruster pack on its back that stole her breath away. The White Hellhound spun around as if showing it off and Vega turned green with envy at the feather-like wings and the additional tulip thrusters which spurred the Orthrus forward with cyan fire.

"Ambion…! That useless fool!" the Scarlet Wolf hissed out a rare curse and grit her fangs. "That relic could have been mine!"

To add insult to injury, the blue Gundam flaunted the swiftness of its new mode by suddenly boosting ahead and leaving the Fenrir to eat its space dust. Pursing her lips, Vega hurriedly cast aside any feelings of jealousy and shifted the Fenrir to the maroon coat of Gravity Mode before falling after her rival. But as the glowing cyan comet on the monitor continued to drift ahead, it soon became apparent that Gravity Mode and the Fenrir's base thrusters were not going to cut it.

"I can't catch up…?!"

Watching the Fenrir fall behind on the monitor gave Laura a sadistic sense of pleasure and the blonde smirked just imagining Vega's expression when the Scarlet Wolf realised she had lost her title as the queen of speed. Gravity Mode might give the Fenrir a marked boost in velocity especially over long distances but Pulse Mode and its instantaneous acceleration had the maroon suit beat by a mile, forcing the Scarlet Wolf to play catch up. But Laura wasn't done there; with a cyan burst of ignition, she extended her lead and headed straight towards the flashing lights and explosions smack in the middle of the fleet battle.

There, above the fierce crossfire of the RDF and LIRA warships, the Garm Teams were doing their best to hold back the agile Lycans but found themselves in a retreat. The tide only turned when an azure comet streaked past their monitors and they found the White Hellhound zipping between their enemies like a ravenous dragon. With her Solar Rifle mounted behind the Orthrus' hips, Laura swung her cyan beamsabre freely and carved open Lycan after Lycan in mid-flight like a heat-seeking blowtorch until she had eviscerated an entire squad.

Having procured the enemy's attention, Laura watched as the rest of Team Hypnos swarmed her and tried to hit her speeding Gundam with a deluge of red beams. It still would have been a futile effort if Laura so wished but instead she Mode Changed the Orthrus from blue to gold, flying directly into the oncoming plasma and absorbing it with her Solar Armour. At the same time, she rallied the Garms Teams on the comm which let loose a blue barrage at both the distracted Lycans and the Orthrus behind them without fear of friendly fire as the golden Gundam absorbed their stray beams painlessly.

"Thanks for the meal!" the White Hellhound shouted before shifting back to the electric blue of Pulse Mode and taking off. The Garm pilots cheered after their saviour who had helped them rout a score of Lycans in well under a minute... only to gasp when a red streak spun them off their axes.

Vega followed the Gundam's trail of destruction and gathered up the grey parts of the demolished Lycans into the Fenrir's gravity field as she passed. Thanks to the Orthrus' short stopover to assist its RDF allies, the Scarlet Wolf was finally catching up to the White Hellhound as her maroon suit surpassed hypersonic speeds.

When the Orthrus dove away from the mobile suit melee and into the field of warship crossfire below, the Fenrir shadowed it without hesitation. They played a game of chicken, weaving through titanic red and blue beams that could easily swallow their mobile suits whole. Just one false move would see them vaporised from existence but Laura and Vega raised the stakes by blasting at one another as they performed their daring manoeuvres.

The Orthrus turned on its back and fired in mid-flight, the White Hellhound's signature move which turned defence into offence. The Fenrir responded by Gravity Throwing the collected Lycan parts, neutralising the cyan beams with perfect aim all while discharging her own rifle. Vega attempted to overwhelm the Orthrus by slingshotting more Lycan debris at it amidst her plasma bursts but when they fell by the wayside it became painfully obvious Gravity Mode was most effective at close range.

A giant wall of azure plasma from a Knight-class battleship materialised between them, obliterating their projectiles and obscuring their view of one another. When it passed by only a split second later, the Orthrus was gone, having turned into a shooting star the colour of twinkling cyan as it headed straight for the advancing LIRA fleet.

"Oh no…" Vega murmured with understated alarm and quickly rammed her throttle all the way forward.

The Fourth Fleet had shifted into a V-formation as it pressed the RDF into a retreat and the Tempest was safely positioned at the back directly behind the Wyvern cruiser leading the offensive. When the White Hellhound came calling, approaching on its radar at blinding speed, the vanguard cruiser did not take the ace lightly and redirected its beam cannon whilst launching every available missile and mobile suit it possibly could. With the Orthrus in its sights, the black vessel blasted it with a long, sustained red beam only for the blue Gundam to spiral around the massive attack.

Undeterred, the Wyvern released a hot wave of missiles next only for them to also whizz by their agile target and when Laura reached the cruiser, she continued to spiral around it. Witnessing everything from behind, Vega rushed to the Wyvern's aid and gathered up the missiles in the Fenrir's gravity field as she passed before they pointed back home. She discovered the White Hellhound twisting down the ship's length like a cyan corkscrew, goading heavy turret fire like it was child's play and dispatching the Wargs stationed nearby with her rifle.

Vega tried to intercept the Orthrus from overhead but, like the Wargs who were forced to aim at their own ship, the risk of friendly fire was too great. Once the blue Gundam reached the stern it dived over, passed the thruster exhausts and disappeared under the belly of the cruiser. Rather than follow, Vega took a sharp fall instead and fell back the other way with the missiles in tow, predicting the Orthrus would reappear at the bow. She might have gotten there before Laura and ambushed the Gundam... if a purple beam hadn't pierced through the Wyvern's hull.

Only Vega's honed instincts and technopathic reflexes saved her as the Fenrir thrusted sideways. The Solar Beam missed by a hair but clipped a missile orbiting the mobile suit instead, triggering an explosion which almost sent the Scarlet Wolf hurtling through space. Regaining control in an instant with the pull of Gravity Mode, Vega fell back towards the cruiser's bow and found the Orthrus had changed to gold.

As the masked pilot suspected, the Gundam had deceitfully Mode Changed while out of sight and its golden rifle had split down the middle like a beak as it pulsated with residual purple energy. That shot had definitely been aimed at the Fenrir but Vega had no time to compliment her foe; her mind raced with a burning question: Why fire the rifle and not its chest cannon?

The Scarlet Wolf found the answer when she saw the gold Orthrus position itself in front of the Wyvern and open up its chest plate.

As the cannon inside charged with glowing purple energy, Vega's jaw dropped and she rushed to the scene; the White Hellhound had calculated everything.

"Now! Don't let it fire!" she ordered the Wargs with rarely heard urgency and threw every missile she had at the Gundam. The Wargs complied at once and fired their missile launchers, exploiting Solar Mode's weakness to conventional weaponry. The host of warheads rocketed away at the golden Orthrus which had become an ideal and immobile target while its chest cannon charged.

But inside its cockpit, Laura grinned and flipped a switch. Twin compartments on the sides of the Gundam's head opened, revealing Vulcan gatling guns which were already whirling to life. In a textbook case of point defence, they fired a hail of bullets which tore through the missiles and neutralised them in a cascade of explosions.

At any other time, as she observed another perfect answer from the White Hellhound, Vega might have bemoaned the inelegance of Vulcans mounted on the Gundam's head unit. Instead, the Scarlet Wolf actually found herself gaping like a mute and as the Orthrus' chest cannon finished charging, she hastily propelled the Fenrir out of its path with clenched teeth.

"Solar Flare!" Laura shouted as all the energy she had collected throughout the battle was condensed into a single beam which leapt out of the chest cannon like a purple flood.

The titanic beam, far exceeding the size of the barrel that had fired it, ripped straight through the Wyvern-class ship at point blank range. The ill-fated vessel combusted from bow to stern, rippling inside out with explosions of devouring flames and blinding violet light. No Warg was spared and each ignited with purple fire as they were caught in the blast before vaporising into dust.

But, as Vega had deduced, the ship had never been Laura's true target – that dubious honour belonged to the vessel directly behind the Wyvern.

The flagship of the Reaper, General Leonidas Cypher – the unholy Tempest.

Purple energy erupted out the back of the obliterated Wyvern and surged forth, the power of Solar Flare undisrupted. The raging inferno flew straight for the Tempest and would have landed a clean shot if not for a LIRA cruiser that suddenly threw itself into the path of the beam. It exploded much like its recently departed sistership, detonating from the molten chasm in its hull, and the beam that left through the other side dissipated like lavender phantoms.

While the Tempest had been left intact, this was unknown to both Laura and Vega who had been blinded by the thick smoke and eclipsing debris from the first Wyvern's destruction. The knowledge their rival was somewhere out there in the fog was bolstered by the strange connection they shared. They had always felt that they could sense one another and the technopaths felt it more strongly now than ever before. As they waited and hid in silence, their chaotic minds were completely encapsulated by thoughts of the other.

For Vega, the destruction the Hellhound had wrought all in a matter of minutes had left her speechless at first. But as she continued to ponder it, the Scarlet Wolf's red lips curved into a wide smile and she almost chuckled.

"We are alike, you and I… are we not?" she whispered with a tone caught between warmth and sympathy. "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger… and we are strong."

As if hearing her rival, Laura shook her head and blinked her purple eyes; thoroughly confused by the connection she felt. However, she could not deny what her feelings were telling her.

"I should hate you… You killed Tully. But…" she faltered and her perplexed expression slowly took on a look of clarity. "But when we fight… It's like my heart dances and weeps at the same time..."

Baffled, Laura gave her head another shake and focused by switching on the infrared sensors. The darkness on the monitor was replaced by brightly coloured dots; the floating, superheated fragments of the Wyvern cruiser after Solar Flare had blown it into chunks. Any of them could be the Fenrir but they all drifted in an outward direction at the same pace – and one of them was going against the grain.

Trusting her instincts, Laura thrust out her Solar Rifle and its golden barrel split open into two halves. As it charged with radiant purple energy, she checked Solar Mode's power reserves and found it had enough for one last shot before the Orthrus would be forced to revert to its default mode. With a bite of her lip, the technopath resolved to make it count and when the blinking targeting reticules converged, she pulled the trigger.

A Solar Beam discharged from the beak-barrel like an amethyst lightning bolt and pierced the Fenrir far across space, parting smoke and vaporising debris in its wake. Solar Mode simultaneously powered down, returning the golden Orthrus to its pure white form, and Laura engaged her thrusters to follow up on her shot. As she neared, something told her the Scarlet Wolf would never go down so easily... and sure enough a closer inspection revealed her worst fear.

What she had in fact sniped was an intact Warg husk – a decoy sent sailing through space on the hunch Laura would notice and take the bait. The blonde swore and whirled the Orthrus around to hightail it out of there but it was too late; an invisible force weighed the Gundam and its pilot down, pushing Laura into her seat like she was suddenly made of cement. Fighting against what she knew was gravity, the technopath managed to roll her eyes up and peek at the monitor where she found the maroon Fenrir directly underneath the Orthrus with its manipulators outstretched.

"Like I said, White Hellhound… we are alike," Vega chuckled and watched as the Gundam flailed about, blasting its new thrusters at the Fenrir only for the noblewoman to increase the potency of Gravity Howl until it could barely move. "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger… but unless you've survived death itself – unless you've lost _everything _– you will never be as strong as I."

The eyes of the Scarlet Wolf hardened beneath her mask and, sensing dire peril, Laura technopathically activated Pulse Mode. The Orthrus shifted to electric blue and ignited its cyan thrusters with renewed might, futilely trying to escape the pull of artificial gravity only for it to flounder in place. The groan of warping Gundanium echoed inside the cockpit and Laura grimaced, truly fearing she was about to be compacted at any second.

"It's a shame. You've been a worthy foe – a kindred spirit, even. But I've come too far to stop here…" Vega mournfully declared, her curved lips withering as she slowly squeezed the Gundam on the monitor and burned her rival's final moments into her memory. "…Farewell, Hellhound."

The overpowering force squashing Laura into her seat rapidly intensified and as several instruments cracked inside the cockpit, she swore the walls were closing in on her. The technopath grunted in defiance and glared at the Scarlet Wolf, refusing to go down this way. That was when she saw it, stirring and parting the smoke behind the maroon Fenrir before it came storming out through the debris: the bow of a white battleship. Rather than retreat, the Baselard had charged across the battlefield to the Orthrus' aid and was poised to ram the Fenrir in the back.

Vega was so focused on channelling the power of Gravity Howl and witnessing her rival's demise that she never saw the speeding iceberg coming before it was too late. The full weight of the battleship slammed into the Fenrir like a planet-sized freight train, stunning and almost knocking Vega out as she was suddenly sent spinning. The Scarlet Wolf was so disoriented that she lost control of Gravity Mode in the mayhem and the Fenrir's maroon armour reverted back to red before the gyrating mobile suit disappeared into space.

Freed from Gravity Howl, the Gundam's already blaring thrusters slingshotted it above the Baselard, just barely missing the battleship before it turned the Orthrus into roadkill like the Fenrir. Once the Orthrus was clear, Laura pulled up on her throttle and reverse-thrusted to a stop, panting and blinking with surprise as she floated above her immense white saviour. The pilot's closest brush with death yet at the hands of Vega Aurelia had left her visibly shaken but she steeled her nerves with a long, deep breath and by the time a familiar white-bearded captain appeared onscreen, Laura was ready to get back into the action.

"Fall back, ensign!" Admiral Turner bellowed, taking Laura by complete surprise. "Return to the Lionheart and retreat!"

"Admiral?!" she gasped, staring at the old man with defiant shock. "But… But I can still fight!"

"No, Ensign Hartmann," the admiral dissuaded the ace pilot at once with a grave shake of his head and closed his eyes. "No amount of fighting – not even with the awesome power of the Gundam – will do us any good… Not anymore."

Admiral Turner's words left Laura perplexed until her purple eyes widened with horror and she whirled the Orthrus around. She prayed it wasn't so, but what met her fearful gaze on the monitor was the harsh undeniable truth: the once mighty Knight-class battleships to their rear had been reduced to seven crumbling and lifeless white wrecks. In the time Laura and Vega had been missing in the smoke, the First Fleet had been decimated and not a single ship remained.

They had lost.

.

* * *

.

The First Fleet and their Garm Teams, buoyed by the return of the White Hellhound, had been making a successful fighting retreat. When the Hellhound had single-handedly destroyed LIRA's vanguard cruiser and almost their flagship with it, breaking the Fourth Fleet's advancing formation in the process, the RDF and the Militia's escape had seemed assured. But little did they know that the Reaper was far from done.

"General, I believe we have collected sufficient data for Phase One."

On the shadowy bridge of the Tempest, a scientist in a white lab coat spoke from a portrait on the main monitor while the battle played out behind him. Previously, LIRA had held the advantage and were poised to crush the RDF Fleet but the appearance of the Gundam had altered the course of the battle. The Blue Crow's flanking manoeuvres had been hindered, the Lycans had been unable to fight through to the retreating Knight-class battleships and the White Hellhound had just opened a gap in the middle of their formation by sinking both the Alonso and Antonio with one shot of its chest cannon. If General Cypher had not ordered the nearby Antonio to move in front of the Tempest beforehand, it would have been the flagship that had been struck.

Now, the lead RDF battleship was making an opportunistic break for the hole in the Wyverns' formation, no doubt hoping to wreak even more havoc with the Gundam by getting behind the Fourth Fleet. At this rate, LIRA would lose not just the relic but also the battle. However, General Leonidas Cypher's pale features did not look worried in the least.

"It's time to end this," the Reaper boomed from the captain's chair and gestured to the scientist with a bony hand. "Begin Phase Two testing; activate Team Hypnos!"

In a command centre deep in the belly of the Tempest, the scientist nodded to the image of Cypher on the main monitor before throwing out orders behind him. Scores of white-clad, black-visored operators began working their consoles and their screens flashed with seemingly innocuous information which included the vital readings of whole squads of the Lycan pilots currently in battle. Each operator finished their inputs by flipping a switch and the green vital signs of Team Hypnos all changed to red, illuminating the entire command centre with bloody light.

At the same time across space, the masks of Team Hypnos lit up with red LEDs inside their cockpits and a faint hiss could be heard coming from their gas mask canisters. The bodies of the pilots began to convulse violently as a mysterious gas was pumped into their lungs and they were only saved from self-injury by the tight straps which kept them in place before they suddenly went eerily still. Outside in the mobile suit battle, the Garms witnessed the lone eyes of the Lycans all transform to red at once and a chill went down the spines of the defenders.

When the grey mobile suits attacked next, they were no longer mere Lycans – they were ravenous beasts. They overran the RDF like an unstoppable horde, exhibiting heightened speed and aggression as they systematically destroyed every foe in their path. The stunned Garms fired their rifles from behind the safety of their shields only to discover they might as well be holding cardboard. Beams could not touch the Lycans, shields meant nothing to their eye-popping manoeuvres and their marksmanship had become frighteningly accurate.

It was as if every member of Team Hypnos had transformed into a technopathic ace… and the Garms had become their prey.

Red plasma began to pierce the white mobile suits at the fore and they detonated in droves. Those that tried to retreat were swiftly hunted down and disembowelled with beamsabres before exploding. The entire horde seemed to move as one and any pockets of resistance were snuffed out with synchronised tactics. Before long, the grey swarm had swiftly engulfed the white defenders in a shrinking ripple of fireballs until none were left.

But the surge did not stop there; now there was nothing left standing between Team Hypnos and the Knight-class battleships.

The horde continued their onslaught and hounded the unguarded vessels like buzzards did a dying herd as they blasted their hulls from every direction. The First Fleet fought back with fierce volleys from their swivelling anti-mobile suit turrets and the last of their deadly Hellfire missiles but the slow-moving battleships were sitting ducks. Most of Team Hypnos evaded the projectiles with ease before those that carried missile launchers gutted the warships with multiple warheads.

The Knights that did not succumb to a fiery demise and had managed to hold on unfortunately discovered the lunacy of Team Hypnos. Despite being pushed beyond their physical limits by the RDF defences, the Lycan pilots continued to perform high-g manoeuvres and began to bleed from their orifices as they reached breaking point. It was as if they had become more machine than human and, upon a signal from the Tempest, those closest to death steered their mobile suits directly at the enemy ships with coordinated precision. Like a shower of explosive meteors, the Lycans slammed into the battleships with hull-shattering force before self-destructing and instantly transforming the last of the Knights into smoking husks.

Finally, Team Hypnos' rampage ceased and the battlefield fell silent. In only a short amount of time, they had eradicated the First Fleet and horrified all the Rem, Zodiac and Lux observers alike. The only ones who appeared pleased with the outcome were the Tempest's scientists who reported their findings with undisguised exhilaration.

"The odd-numbered squads reacted positively to the new concoction – beyond our expectations, in fact!" one black-visored technician exclaimed as they pored over the information on their monitor. "Their performance and reaction time indicators are off the charts – even those that were given low dosages."

"We're getting similar findings with the control group, curiously," another tech stated. "This could be more proof the gas allows them to link up technopathically like a hive mind…"

"Or a shared dream, one might say," the lead scientist chuckled and turned to the main monitor where General Cypher was listening in. "Phase Two testing has been a resounding success, General! We lost almost fifty percent of Team Hypnos but only ten percent died due to combat; twenty percent overdosed and the rest broke due to combat-related stress. The latter was disposed of once all possible data was extracted and, as usual, I expect the analysis to show the fault lies with their Lycan mobile suits and not our latest concoction of Hypnos Gas. Unfortunately, our subjects still seem to suffer from varying degrees of withdrawal symptoms soon after activation has ended but I'm sure you'll agree it is only a minor setback considering the experiment's outstanding results."

"Excellent," nodded the general – the highest compliment one could receive from the emotionless Reaper – before turning his hollowed eyes towards the lone battleship left in the middle of the field. Cypher could easily surround and destroy the survivor if he so desired but even he could not resist the opportunity for one final experiment. "Find me Major Aurelia. I must witness the full power of the Gravity Relic for myself…"

.

* * *

.

The devastation on Laura's monitor was enough to make her stomach turn and it showed on the blonde's tortured expression. The orphans had flown with the First Fleet to Lemuria and its untimely demise filled her with heart-rending anguish; those lifeless bodies drifting amongst the debris had once been their comrades-in-arms. Laura's grief soon boiled over into lip-biting anger and she was about to argue more with Admiral Turner when another familiar face popped up onscreen.

"Listen to the admiral, ensign," Milos ordered her, his grim visage that of her superior officer rather than her father. "You know what has to happen next. Don't… Don't make it any harder than it has to be."

"But Milos…! Captain!" Laura shouted, ready to let her emotions fly. If Milos was suggesting what she thought he was, there was no way she was going to agree.

"Laura Hartmann…" the composed voice of Admiral Turner cut her off before she could get started and the veteran suddenly began to smile. "You know, when you were first stationed aboard the Baselard, I knew I could expect great things from you. Watching that young woman become the best pilot I've ever seen has been one of the greatest joys of this old man's life… and that's why you have to leave. Don't let me down now."

The look in the admiral's brown eyes at that moment was one Laura would never forget; like the gaze of a kindly old grandfather, they shone with complete faith in her. With gritted teeth, the technopath knew what she had to say and forced the words out of her mouth.

"Yes, sir…" Laura whispered only to shake her head and salute before shouting out her guts. "Yes, sir! I won't let you down, admiral!"

The channel closed and the Orthrus thrusted back towards the Lionheart, leaving only Milos and Turner. Now it was the Lionheart captain's turn to be gobsmacked.

"Admiral… I don't know what to say…"

"Just promise me you'll get the Lionheart home with those relics… and don't let the Reaper get his hands on the Gundam or Laura," said Turner and he finished by staring his old friend right in the eye. "It's up to you now, Milos."

"…Yes, sir!" Milos saluted and took one last glassy-eyed look at his old captain. "It's been an honour, admiral."

The commlink to the Lionheart disappeared and Turner leaned back with a sigh that seemed to echo in the empty bridge. He was all alone, having ordered his crew to abandon ship, and a quick check with his chair console confirmed they had all made it out on the Baselard's escape pods. Now the admiral's only company was that of the Reaper and his Fourth Fleet on the monitor, which had begun to encircle the Baselard like jackals.

"Okay, Reaper…" George Turner growled and made his last stand. "Let's dance!"

.

* * *

.

Jonas Sparrhorn had seen a lot of crazy things throughout his long career. From suicide bombers in the Outer Rim conflicts and massive fleet battles at Lemuria to a Gravity Relic wielded by the most brilliant and insane pilot he had ever met... The commodore thought he had seen it all.

But this... This took the cake and ran away with it.

"Vega…" Jonas activated his comm and somehow found the Scarlet Wolf without tearing his eyes away from the Blue Crow's monitor. "Are you seeing this?"

"I am… I have a front row seat," Vega, equally astonished, replied from near the Tempest where the Fenrir had been thrown. "It appears to be… dancing…"

The last Knight-class battleship, alone against six Wyvern-class cruisers, should have been an easy kill – an expectation only bolstered by the launch of its escape pods. However, it appeared its captain had remained behind and their… unorthodox methods… were actually keeping the Fourth Fleet at bay.

By purposefully going into a rapid tailspin on its x-axis and firing its beam cannon in long arcs at the same time, the battleship singlehandedly threatened the entire Fourth Fleet with every revolution like a swinging azure blade. Smart use of its thrusters even allowed it to change its trajectory while spinning, making it an even more erratic target for the Wyverns' red beams as they tried to aim their cannons and avoid being severed in half at the same time. The tip of the giant plasma sword even reached the Blue Crow on the battle's flank and forced the stealth ship to suspend its chase of Rem's Relic Hunters.

As a fellow soldier, Jonas was in awe of the captain. Not only had they valiantly stayed behind to hold off the enemy while their allies escaped, they were laughing in the face of the Reaper – in the face of death itself. However, the Knight-class battleship was obviously not intended for such rigorous manoeuvres and it was only a matter of time before its reactor overheated or its hull broke apart. Without a doubt, the captain intended to go down with the ship… and they were doing it in style.

"Major Aurelia," the icy tone of General Cypher on the Fenrir's comm distracted Vega from the indigo lights of the spinning battleship-top on her monitor. "The RDF ship will make a perfect test subject for the Gravity Relic's powers… Destroy it."

"But, general…" Vega inquired and raised a perplexed eyebrow. "What about the Relic Hunters? And the Orthrus? They will escape with the relic at this rate."

"They have nowhere to flee and will be hunted down in due time," the Reaper replied and Vega swore his voice hummed with glee with his next words. "Now… Show me this Gravity Howl."

"…Yes, general."

It gave Vega no pleasure to be the one who extinguished the brave soul still on that ship but it did her no favours to defy the Reaper. In silence, she set her throttle to maximum power and the Fenrir shot towards the gyrating battleship in the distance on blue contrails. The captain must have seen the speeding red mobile suit coming because they pivoted the ship's beam cannon in the Scarlet Wolf's direction and followed it up with a stream of missiles.

Vega guessed what the captain was attempting to do and smiled at their ingenuity. With a flourishing display of piloting, the noblewoman skilfully manipulated her control sticks and the nimble Fenrir dodged the first several warheads before discharging its beam rifle at several more in the barrage. When the battleship's titanic plasma cannon eventually swung past like an oversized azure beamsabre, it also burned through its own missile salvo and started a fiery chain reaction of explosions that would have destroyed the Fenrir in the inferno, gravity powers or not. But the Scarlet Wolf had already cleared a path to safety through the missile minefield and the red suit erupted out of the flames only partially scorched.

Conserving energy until the last moment, the Fenrir swerved to a halt directly underneath the belly of the spinning battleship and its armour finally shifted to the radiant maroon of Gravity Mode. Closing her eyes, Vega technopathically recalled the awesome power she had felt at the abandoned colony and tapped into it effortlessly. She sensed the Fenrir's gravity field expand and swallow the white vessel in a swirling storm of ship and mobile suit debris. The mass of debris began to pummel the revolving battleship like bullets while metal fragments were stripped from its warping hull and transformed into more projectiles for the storm.

The once mighty ship's bow and stern disintegrated more with every revolution but defiant blue fire continued to sputter from both its cannon and thrusters. Despite knowing its fate was sealed, the Knight-class battleship's captain was determined to fight until the bitter end. Finally, inside the black sphere devoid of light at the centre of the tempest, the Fenrir's eyes glowed red and Vega answered the captain's valour.

"_Gravity Howl!_"

.

* * *

.

For over two decades since becoming its captain, George Turner had been through thick and thin with the Baselard. The old man had grown so attached to the ship he considered it as a second home and the countless crewmembers who had served aboard it over the years were like family to him. But now it had all finally come to an end for both of them.

Momentarily swept away by the memories, Turner opened his eyes and found himself anchored to his chair by the same formidable gravity pulling the Baselard apart. The admiral could almost feel her pain as its hull groaned and fractured around him but like her, he was powerless to resist the fate foisted upon them. As the forces crushing the captain grew stronger so too did the ship's burgeoning cries, and he knew the Scarlet Wolf would soon reach the final crescendo.

"It's okay, Baselard… You're not going alone…" Turner whispered and somehow managed to manipulate the console on the armrest with his fingers.

The Baselard's hazy monitor switched in and out of space until it settled on a set of blurry ships in the distance: the Lionheart and the Ganymede. Like a pair shrinking dots, one white and one green, the monitor showed them safely escaping from Undine before the screen cracked and blacked out. Turner sighed with relief and felt the tension leave his body as if freeing itself from the artificial gravity keeping him pinned in his seat. The future was in safe hands and all an old fossil like him had left to do was wait for the end.

"…George Turner's Last Stand…" he whispered, thinking of how he would be remembered by the history books and chuckling. "No… George Turner's Last _Dance_…!"

The dim lights began to flicker on and off before the bridge was thrown into complete darkness. A terrible screech could be heard next as the room was ripped in half and a deathly silence followed as everything inside was ejected into the cold void of space. But right up to the end… George Turner was laughing.

"_Run, Lionheart… run..."_

_._

* * *

.

On the Lionheart's bridge, the Baselard buckled and shattered into countless pieces on the main monitor. Just like that, the distinguished ship and its admired captain were gone… and the Lionheart's bridge crew could only look on in despondent silence. Everyone knew there was nothing that could have been done but it still hurt all the same.

In the captain's chair, Milos performed a sharp salute and a rare tear formed in his eye. One by one, the bridge crew led by Sofia did the same and paid their respects to the departed admiral who had saved their lives. So it was on the Ganymede with Zora and her crew as well as Jonas on the Blue Crow and the Space Wolves. Last but not least, Team Orthrus saluted in their cockpits and lingered behind for a moment before rejoining the fleeing Lionheart.

Laura went last, keeping up her salute for a moment longer as tears streamed from her reddened eyes and the steady trail of droplets splashed onto her monitor. Finally, when she was ready to accept the reality of the Baselard's disintegrated remains, she squeezed her eyes shut and whirled away along with the Orthrus.

Thanks to Admiral Turner, they had survived. But because they had survived, they had to face forward. Because now, not only were they alone…

…They were on the run.

.

**END OF EPISODE SEVEN**

* * *

Next Episode Preview

RAY: _Admiral… I can't believe you're gone. It felt like only yesterday you were tossing me into rehab, saying 'Don't stop fighting… not until the end.' It will never repay the debt I owe you, but I will honour your memory by living up to those words for the rest of my life._

_Next time, on Gundam Gemini:_

_Sinister Sanctuary._

_Vale George Turner. You were already a giant in life but in death you have transcended us all._

_._

* * *

Finally, after over three months, Episode Seven is complete... I'm very sorry for all the delays but I hope it was worth the wait. Thanks again to my beta, LW, for helping with all three parts - I couldn't have done it without her wisdom and eye for detail. I will be taking a short break to work on some GG side projects before starting on the next episode; all will be explained in an announcement on my profile, so stay tuned.


	15. Episode 17 - The Scarlet Admirer -Part A

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam.

Once again, huge thanks to LW for beta-reading, especially during the Xmas season!

Also, if you haven't already, please check out my other story, Gemini Fever! It's a parody where the characters of Gundam SEED watch Gundam Gemini and become crazy fans, leading to all sorts of trouble. I wrote it to promote GG and for GG readers (no knowledge of SEED is required) so please give it a go!

* * *

Gundam Gemini

Episode Seventeen

The Scarlet Admirer

Part A

.

The tall, black gates walling off the Aurelia estate from the public were exactly as Ursula had imagined. More than just a barrier to repel mere mortals, the rows of wrought iron bars tapered off into intricately laced loops and formed the shape of two wolves meeting in the middle. It was both imposing and elegant, just like the masters of the domain, thought Ursula.

The black gates were affixed to equally impressive walls of towering white stone which stretched as far as the eye could see on either side of Ursula. They dwarfed even the mansions of the upper-class suburb past the main road behind her and the LIRA captain let out a shaky breath as the butterflies in her stomach multiplied. Just beyond those gates was a thousand acres of land and forest – enough for House Aurelia to build their own fiefdom if they so wished – and even in the distance she could behold the grandeur of Aurelia Manor.

Ursula could not help but weigh it against her family's meagre estate and its dilapidated manor which all but paled in comparison. Still, the daughter of House Roland stood tall, puffed out her chest and, after a deep breath, pressed the intercom button mounted on the stone wall.

"…Yes?" the voice of an elderly man answered and Ursula felt herself perspire under the stare of the intercom camera.

"G-Good afternoon!" she stuttered nervously, almost biting her tongue. "My… My name is Ursula Roland. I… I received this invitation…?"

Fumbling through her pocket, Ursula clumsily produced the invitation and showed it to the camera. Her name was handwritten on the front in elegant cursive and the back had a red wax seal stamped with the wolf crest of House Aurelia.

"Ah! Lady Ursula," the man – a servant, she presumed – exclaimed in recognition. "We've been expecting you, milady. I shall open the gates now." There was a pause. "…Forgive me if I'm wrong but... did you not come by car?"

"Er, no…" Ursula replied, and cursed her penny-pinching habits as she felt her cheeks flush. "…I caught the bus."

"Oh my…! Then I shall send out a car to pick you up immediately!"

Ursula tried to protest but the servant said it would shame their house if they let her walk the kilometre-long driveway and soon she found herself the passenger of a sleek black limousine. Unused to such luxuries, Ursula squirmed in her seat and distracted herself by admiring the pristine woods and green meadows passing by outside the window. Before long, the scenery gave way to an expansive clearing as Aurelia Manor came into view and the sight supplanted her worries with wide-eyed awe.

The manor was like something out of a fairy tale – a lofty castle of unyielding red brickwork, framed by exquisite lattice windows that cascaded down four stories and crowned with shimmering black shingles layered across its arched roof. Ursula couldn't even take in the whole building at once, such was its enormity, and as she turned her head side to side she observed the lower manor walls were coated with insulating jade ivy grown from the charming gardens below. Rose bushes and perfectly trimmed hedges also decorated the grounds, creating a sprawling maze around the manor, and Ursula was astonished to see a large fountain bubbling with clear water as the centrepiece – an extreme extravagance considering the liquid's rarity on Lux.

Before Ursula knew it, the limousine had stopped on the paved driveway right beside the manor entrance and the chauffeur was opening her door. Swallowing her nerves again, the woman stepped out, smoothed the creases in her LIRA uniform and readjusted her cap before craning her neck back to take in the full majesty of Aurelia Manor up close. If the experience so far hadn't been surreal enough, Ursula was rendered speechless when the great, oaken double doors opened and a dozen maids and butlers greeted her.

"Welcome, milady," they chorused and bowed, almost knocking their guest over from the shock. Unsure of what to do, Ursula froze on the spot and her senses were overwhelmed by several extraordinary details at once.

First, a sparkling crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling of the round entrance hall which was remarkably spacious. Second, a magnificent set of twin staircases curved around the sides of the hall from the second floor like sculpted oak, its steps draped with red carpet. Third, nestled between the stairs on the weaved timber floorboards of the ground floor was a gorgeous pair of arched, glass doors which presumably led to the manor's great hall. Fourth, the sides of the room were lined with picturesque landscape paintings, some of which hid the occasional wolf, except for the lifelike portrait of a beautiful, raven-haired woman hanging in the centre above the staircase. Lastly – the final detail which literally shook Ursula out of her dazed state – was the giant black wolf which ran up and tackled her from out of nowhere.

"Ah! S-Stop! Um… Heel!" Ursula yelped as the wolf stood on its hindlegs and leaned on her, eliciting some smiles from the servants, but was relieved to find the animal was in fact quite friendly. Like a greeting, it brought its long face close to her own and she became lost in its amber eyes.

"Sirius! Paws off our esteemed guest!"

The pet obediently sat down on command and Ursula looked up to find Vega at the head of the stairs. The daughter of House Aurelia was fashionably dressed even in her own home and wore a sleeveless red cotton sweater, slim white pants cropped at the ankles and, of course, red velvet heels. As she sauntered down the stairs while caressing the sloped banner, Ursula's brown gaze was drawn to the woman's smiling lips, long silver hair and her eyes…

…which were still hidden behind a white mask. The bated breath Ursula had held in anticipation was released with a long sigh of disappointment instead. So the Scarlet Wolf even concealed her face at home.

"Welcome to Aurelia Manor, my dear Ursula," Vega beamed as she reached the bottom of the stairs and dismissed the servants with a wave of her hand. "I had anticipated you would arrive early… but I never would have guessed you would arrive by public transportation! If you had difficulty reaching the estate, you only needed to ask and I could have easily arranged for a car to pick you up…"

"N-No, I couldn't dream of troubling you! I don't mind, really..."

"Or perhaps I should have the bus drive you directly here next time? I must say, the idea of you disembarking the coach in full view of Lux's nobility sounds oddly entertaining…"

"Don't you dare!"

Vega chuckled and Ursula pouted, knowing she had fallen for another one of the woman's jests. Seeing his master so pleased, Sirius sat by her red heels and was rewarded with a mollifying head pat. Observing the contented animal with unease, Ursula still could not tell whether it was a dog or a real wolf.

"Your pet, Sirius… It's not a real wolf, is it?"

"Sirius? No, of course not. Sirius is a domesticated hound of the finest pedigree! Aren't you, boy?" Vega laughed again and crouched down to cuddle the lucky black beast to prove her point before her tone turned ominous. "Although, that's not to say the blood of wolves doesn't flow through his veins. The stories passed down in House Aurelia do tell of wolves living on our estate and of the unnatural pact our ancestors formed with them. I've never seen any wolves in the forest myself but sometimes, on the night of a full moon… you will hear a howl."

"N-Nonsense! You're just trying to scare me!" Ursula snapped. As she watched Vega run her hands through Sirius' glossy fur coat, however, she found she could really believe that the noblewoman had tamed an actual wolf.

"Now, shall we head to my room Ursula?" Vega asked and released the hound who scampered off down the corridor.

"Your r-r-room?" Ursula stammered, her imagination suddenly running wild. "Y-You don't mind…?"

"Of course not. If anything, it's necessary you come!" Vega coaxed her. "I mean, you're not seriously thinking of attending the soiree in your uniform, are you?"

"The invitation didn't apprise me of a dress code…" Ursula quickly argued, ashamed to admit she had never been invited to such a function before. "What's wrong with my uniform?"

"It would be such a waste, my dear Ursula! Think of the occasion! I know I have a dress somewhere in my wardrobe that will suit you," Vega put her hands on her hips and insisted. "You come too, Dorothy."

"Yes, milady."

Ursula whirled around and was gobsmacked to find one of the maids standing right behind her. The LIRA captain hadn't even noticed her presence but before she could say anything, Vega had grabbed her by the hand and started dragging her up the staircase.

"Fortunately, we have plenty of time before the soiree begins," the masked woman grinned and ignored the protestations of her guest. "Fear not, dear Ursula. I'm no fairy godmother but with some effort, I'll make a Cinderella out of you yet."

Hearing that, Ursula's apprehension only worsened.

.

* * *

.

As Ursula discovered, the wardrobe Vega had mentioned earlier was actually an entire room dedicated to her mountain of designer clothes and other apparel. The daughter of House Roland was bundled inside and given only a moment to gawk at the hoard of fashionable garments which hung from endless rows of clothing racks before Vega stopped at a section where her gowns and dresses were stored. Having never seen Vega so much as wear a skirt, Ursula raised a curious eyebrow only for her eyes to bulge when she saw the dresses the silver-haired woman was picking out and handing over to Dorothy.

The captain felt her cheeks warm with every lacy frill, plunging neckline, thigh-high slit and open-back outfit that passed her gaze but she was ushered into the next room before she could object. An adjoining door led to a voluminous bedroom decked with soft white carpet and the finest trappings – Vega's bedchamber, Ursula's inner voice screamed with excitement. Unaware of her guest's line of thought, her host began holding up the chosen dresses to Ursula's body in front of an ornate gold full-length mirror. Using her lurid imagination and hand gestures, a passionate Vega described dress by dress how each would best complement Ursula's figure, legs or derriere, and her blushing subordinate replied to each in turn with a resounding 'No!'.

"Forgive me…" Vega trembled, attempting and failing to hold in her laughter after a see-through gown caused Ursula to look absolutely scandalised. "Truthfully, I never intended to have you wear any of these…"

"I knew it… You just wanted to see my reaction," Ursula glowered and glanced at the stacked pile of discarded dresses on the bed with a sigh. Nearby, even Dorothy politely giggled at the brunette's expense and she realised the maid must have been in on it too.

"Indeed… but I did have one dress in mind that I believe would be perfect for you," Vega smiled and gestured to Dorothy who produced a red ball gown from the closet. Unlike some of the other dresses, this one had a more modest decolletage as well as off the shoulder straps, a slimming bodice and a high-low bouffant skirt decorated with intricate lace roses. It was simple yet elegant and even Ursula couldn't hide her adoration of the gown.

"It's beautiful…" she whispered and ran the back of her hand over the satin material as her brown eyes flickered with wonder. "To be perfectly honest, I'm surprised you have any dresses at all, major, let alone one like this."

"They were all gifts from my late mother who valiantly endeavoured to have me wear each at least once – one for every soiree or party," Vega revealed the memory with a mournful smile and Ursula recalled the portrait of the raven-haired woman at the entrance hall. "I'm ashamed to say she may have only seen me wear a dress once or twice before she passed…"

"But Lady Aurelia was so pleased when you did," Dorothy reminded her mistress who nodded with a chuckle.

"I remember mother was terrible with technology so she had you operate the camera and take hundreds of pictures for her."

"Thanks to the late madam, I am a veritable master photographer now who knows all of milady's good sides. Thoroughly."

Dorothy's blue eyes glinted and Vega chuckled again. Ursula got the sense they had known one another for a long time and felt a pang in her chest. Was she… jealous?

"Oh! Shoes!" Vega suddenly proclaimed, eyeing Ursula's black LIRA issue boots with disdain. "Dorothy, quickly – the matching red heels with straps from the wardrobe. You know the ones I mean."

"Right away, milady. And may I suggest, in the meantime, you change into your own attire for the soiree?"

They followed the maid's gaze to the balcony sliding door and realised evening had already beset them.

"Ah, the soiree must already be underway. Never mind, we shall be fashionably late, Ursula," Vega roguishly declared. "Now go ahead and change."

"H-Here? With y-you?" the brunette stammered, looking around the bedchamber like a wary animal out of its enclosure while Dorothy quietly slipped out through the adjoining door unnoticed.

"If that makes you feel more comfortable," Vega teased. "Ah, but it appears Dorothy has had the foresight to put up this changing screen! How thoughtful of her."

The paper changing screen did partition the room in two but that hardly placated Ursula's fraught nerves. She was going to undress in Vega Aurelia's bedchamber – in the Scarlet Wolf's lair – and Vega herself would be disrobing in the same room only metres away. Imagining what Vega might try to do while they were naked and alone, Ursula clutched her chest as her heart threatened to hammer its way out of her ribcage.

"Oh, but you had best wait for Dorothy's help before you change into that gown," Vega said with a sigh as she disappeared behind the screen. "How unfortunate… My eyes were looking forward to gracing themselves with your slender figure but I suppose I will change first. Don't mind me, Ursula, and make yourself at home."

Ursula scowled at the woman before turning her back on her with a huff. She wasn't feeling disappointed at all, she told herself. Taking the red ball gown from the hanger, she held it up to herself in the front of the mirror again and swayed her body side to side. The dress was beautiful, there was no doubt about that, but the expression of the would-be wearer reflected in the mirror appeared doubtful.

Ursula's eyes were a boring brown and her hair was cropped into a straight, uninteresting bob cut. Running her fingers through her brown locks, she wondered whether she should try growing her hair out. Perhaps she should dye it red. Just a little.

Recalling red was Vega's favourite colour, Ursula made the mistake of glimpsing at the changing screen through the mirror's reflection. She discovered the voluptuous silhouette of her superior officer could be clearly seen through the paper and Ursula almost gasped with embarrassment. Forcing herself not to peek, she searched for a distraction and looked around the room instead.

She spied tall shelves filled to the brim with books, the mahogany dresser and wardrobe, an antique writing desk and a flatscreen television mounted on the wall. The rose-patterned wallpaper matched the velvet curtains as well as the silk sheets of the impressive, queen-size canopy bed. To her surprise, Ursula also noticed a white dressing table just within view past the changing screen; it was true the Scarlet Wolf always looked her best but the captain never expected such a feminine piece of furniture inside her room.

Even more surprising were the open jewellery boxes and drawers on the dressing table which were bursting with sparkling rings and ornate necklaces. Perhaps Vega had inherited the jewellery and dressing table from her late mother, Ursula concluded. But if so, the small, brown wooden box that caught her eye seemed out of place amongst the other ostentatious trinkets. Something of Vega's, then?

Before Ursula's inquisitive examination of the wooden box could go any further, she spotted Vega's white mask lying on the dressing table and suddenly realised she had a rare chance – a chance to see the Scarlet Wolf unmasked. Instinctively, she attempted to peek at Vega through the reflection of the dressing table mirror before she recalled her honour and stopped her shameful actions with a groan. Red-faced, she surveyed the room instead and saw photos on the bookshelves.

Ursula's eyes lit up with delight like a bear uncovering a hoard of delicious honey and she rushed over with anticipation. She had actually only been two years behind Vega when she had enrolled into the Royal Military Academy but the daughter of House Aurelia had already begun wearing her mask by then and was never seen without it. Finally, however, she would get to see her face and solve the mystery once and for all.

But as Ursula scanned the photos her bottom lip slowly began to wilt and her brow furrowed with bewilderment; Vega was wearing her mask in every one of them. No matter whether it was school or private photos, the mask never left her face. To top things off, there weren't even any pictures of her from before her third academic year or as a child.

"You've got to be kidding me…" Ursula grumbled and never noticed as a certain maid snuck up on her.

"Handsome, isn't she?" Dorothy whispered into her ear and Ursula spun about with a muted shriek. "Oh, don't mind me, Lady Ursula. Please, continue your ogling of my mistress as though you were still completely alone."

The woman giggled and, upon catching her breath, Ursula took a moment to finally consider the maid of House Aurelia with a cocked eyebrow. She was young – about Ursula's age, she guessed – but a little shorter and had brown hair that was a shade lighter than the captain's and had been tied back into a ponytail. Her curious eyes were coloured sapphire blue and, like her mistress, her comely features appeared to be fixed into a permanent, smiling poker face; in other words, she was the kind of person Ursula had the most trouble dealing with.

"Dorothy… was it?" Ursula inhaled and made sure Vega was still changing with a glance as she lowered her voice. "Does your mistress not keep pictures of herself when she was… younger?"

"You desire photographs of milady when she was… a child?" Dorothy asked and cocked her head innocently before covering her mouth. "My… You certainly have quite the acquired taste, Lady Ursula."

"No…!" the horrified woman almost yelled before she brought her tone back down to a hushed whisper. "I mean, isn't there a photo where you can see her… without a mask?"

"Ah, you wish to gaze upon the splendour that is milady's uncovered features?" Dorothy guessed correctly and nodded with understanding. "Sadly, milady has hidden them all away. But even if I was in a position to help you, I could not betray my mistress. It's truly a shame since she is even more beautiful than you can imagine underneath…"

"You've seen her? Unmasked?" Ursula pressed the maid and found herself leaning forward.

"Oh, my apologies, Lady Ursula. I am afraid I cannot divulge that juicy bit of information…" Dorothy smiled while her guest suppressed a groan. "Now, shall we get you out of those clothes and into this gorgeous gown?"

Ursula timidly followed the maid back to the full-length mirror where, under great duress, she allowed Dorothy to help her disrobe. Ursula had always dressed by herself, shunning the indulgence of letting others clothe her even when House Roland still had servants, and found her first experience to be quite odd. Perhaps sensing her guest's unease, Dorothy worked quickly and efficiently so Ursula was naked for as short a time as possible, putting the LIRA uniform away before helping the toned woman into the ball gown.

"We'll slip it on from the feet up, milady… We don't want to get your pretty makeup ruined after all," Dorothy astutely pointed out as she kneeled on the floor with the bunched-up gown while Ursula blushed. As her siblings had teased her before she had departed, it must have been some occasion for the strict daughter of House Roland to wear even light makeup. Putting her embarrassment aside, Ursula stepped into the gown and watched her reflection as Dorothy gently pulled the fabric up.

In an instant, Ursula was transformed. The red ball gown fit perfectly and accented her slender figure while the high low skirt showed off her long legs. Her bosom was still slightly exposed by the low neckline but the red satin material contrasted well against her skin and was pleasing to the eye. An astonished Ursula couldn't even recognise the fashionable – not to mention feminine – woman in the mirror and kept touching her bare arms to make sure it was her. Meanwhile, Dorothy quietly stood behind her and adjusted the bodice.

"How long have you been with House Aurelia?" Ursula, impressed with the maid's work thus far, found herself asking.

"Oh, for a little over a decade now, milady. Since Lady Vega was a young girl and I was asked to be her playmate," Dorothy smiled at the memory while tightening the strings of the bodice. "The head maid of Aurelia Manor, my aunt, recommended me to Lady Aurelia and I came to live here while learning the proper ways of being a maid. After my elementary schooling was finished, her ladyship officially hired me and I have been Lady Vega's personal maid ever since."

"I see… You must know all sorts of things about your mistress, having been with her for so long…" Ursula felt her heart tighten and simply said what came to mind but Dorothy clearly saw her frown from the mirror's reflection.

"Could it be… you are jealous, Lady Ursula?" The maid's lips upturned impishly and she giggled when the pilot turned beet-red. "My, Lady Vega is certainly popular, isn't she? But I can understand your feelings completely…"

"You… You can?"

"To be perfectly honest, I am the one who is jealous of you, Lady Ursula," Dorothy admitted as her smile turned melancholic. "Since joining LIRA, Lady Vega is often away from home and we all miss her dearly. On the rare occasion milady returns, she will not regale us with tales of the war but rather her misadventures with her comrades instead… and you feature quite a bit, milady."

"I… I do?"

"Very much, milady. Every time, I think to myself, 'I wish I were one of Lady Vega's comrades too so I could follow her into space'. That way I could be with milady all the time…" Dorothy sighed and Ursula felt pangs of guilt for ever being jealous of the maid. "Truly, Lady Ursula… you're so lucky to be Lady Vega's number one girlfriend."

"I know… Wait, _what?!_" Ursula exclaimed and tried to twist her head only to yelp when she felt all the oxygen being squeezed out of her chest as Dorothy pulled the bodice tight.

"Breathe in, please," the maid in the mirror beamed before tying off the taut strings.

"What… What did you mean by that?" Ursula whispered after she had made sure none of her ribs were broken. "I'm not Vega's _g-girlfriend_!"  
"Oh, there's no need to be shy, Lady Ursula. Milady would not just invite anyone to the soiree… Oh, I'm sure all the other ladies in the Space Wolves must be so jealous!"

Dorothy giggled and distracted Ursula by producing a pair of elegant red velvet heels with ankle straps. The maid kneeled and they continued the conversation while she helped the flustered captain to put them on.

"With her charm and gallantry, Lady Vega has always had a way with the ladies ever since her school days and they are always vying for her attention," Dorothy sighed happily at the memory as she tied Ursula's ankle straps. "I'm sure it must be the same in milady's squadron."

"Just what exactly do you think goes on in the Space Wolves…?" a hesitant Ursula asked and considered the maid strangely. It was a question she would come to regret almost immediately.

"Everything one would expect from Lady Vega's own personal female harem, of course! There must be so much flirting flowers just blooming in the background and… and catfights! Milady's girlfriends must always be competing for her affections until she soothes them with sweet nothings. According to my information, Lady Ursula is milady's current favourite but this Miss Jaeger sounds like a worthy rival!" Dorothy excitedly exclaimed and her personality changed completely as she cupped her warming cheeks. "Oh, just imagining the Scarlet Wolf's forbidden flower garden is like nourishment for my soul… but pairing the mistress and Lady Ursula together is especially scrumptious!"

"N-No… You… Ugh…" Ursula was about to rectify the maid's fantasies but upon seeing her eyes glaze over realised it was a lost cause. The flabbergasted captain had encountered many of Vega's diehard fans over the years but Dorothy didn't just take the cake and run away with it; she took the cake, rebaked it into a wedding cake in her head-oven and force-fed the concoction to everyone. "Whatever you're imagining, please stop…"

"Oh? And whatever could I be imagining, Lady Ursula?" Dorothy teased in a manner so reminiscent of her mistress that Ursula blushed before instinctually lashing out.

"Y-You know very well what I mean, you… you perverted maid!"

Dorothy only giggled in response and they were so caught up in their conversation they never noticed Vega step out from behind the changing screen.

"Oh? Since when did you two start getting along so well?" Vega got their attention with a grin and stunned them with her bold new clothes. She was wearing a red two-piece suit woven from luxurious silk which gleamed as the smooth material flowed down her tall figure and accentuated her curves. A white ruffled blouse protruded out from inside the buttoned, single-breasted jacket and sleeves, and at the end of the straight cropped pants she had surprisingly chosen white heels. The masked woman finished off her stylish appearance by tying her silver hair back into a simple, low ponytail using a red silk ribbon.

"Oh, my lady, you look so dashing," Dorothy clapped her hands together and gushed over her mistress. "Does she not, Lady Ursula?"

"I… I suppose… maybe…" a tongue-tied Ursula dithered but seeing as she couldn't take her eyes away from Vega, the others took it as a compliment and smiled.

"Why thank you, Ursula. But look at you – you are as exquisite as a rose in that dress! It brings out so much of your natural beauty I hardly recognise you," Vega adulated her second with seemingly genuine surprise and Ursula felt her blush deepen as her host looked her up and down. "However, I cannot shake the idea that your outfit needs one final flourish or two… Ah! I believe I have just the thing."

Mystified, Ursula watched as Vega produced two accessories from behind her back with which she proceeded to adorn her guest. One was a red choker encrusted with tiny rubies and the other was a simple red rose clip which Vega used to lift up Ursula's bangs.

"There. Now I daresay you will steal the hearts of everyone attending the soiree, my dear Ursula," Vega whispered into Ursula's ear as they admired her reflection in the mirror. Standing side by side with Vega in matching outfits had Ursula speechless as her mind fluttered between excitement and embarrassment, but the mention of the soiree brought the woman crashing back down to reality. Was she, the mannish first daughter of poor House Roland as she knew the other nobles called her, really going to walk among them like this?

"N-No… I can't. I can't do this…" she murmured and turned on her heels to apologise to Vega only for her to stumble. Ursula fell right into the taller woman's arms which cushioned her fall and she was momentarily transfixed by the scent of perfume.

"Of course you can," Vega whispered back, having heard Ursula, and held the smaller woman in her arms for a moment longer. "You're the proud heir to House Roland and a distinguished LIRA captain, not to mention the Scarlet Wolf's trusted second-in-command. Never mind what the other nobles think; walk into that hall and stand tall, Ursula Roland."

"Vega…"

If Ursula could look into Vega's eyes and be transfixed by them she would, but the Scarlet Wolf's mask got in the way. Still, the gaze she could feel coming from behind the mysterious white visor was spellbinding enough that they became lost in the moment. They were only brought back to reality when a bright flash of light blinded them and they turned to find Dorothy with a camera in her hands.

"Yes! Yes, milady! That was wonderful!" she squealed as her other personality slipped out and she took several more pictures.

"S-Stop! I… I don't want my picture taken!" a mortified Ursula objected and tried to shield her reddened face but the maid was surprisingly fleet of foot in her long-skirted uniform. "Not like this!"

"Don't worry … We'll have the pictures sent straight to House Roland for your family's viewing pleasure," Vega chuckled and teased the panicked woman only to pause when her irate guest gave her a scorching stare. "…Well, you'd best get used to it. I _have_ hired a professional photographer for the soiree, so you know…"

"Oh god…" Ursula grabbed her cheeks and bemoaned her state of affairs until she saw Vega extend an arm to her.

"I'll be right with you, my dear Ursula," the Scarlet Wolf assured her second with a confident smile like she did when they went into battle and Ursula suddenly felt her worries disappear. "Well, then… Shall we?"

After drawing a deep breath to calm her nerves, Ursula took Vega's arm and they left the bedchamber with Dorothy in tow, still taking pictures.

.

* * *

.

When Vega and Ursula arrived at the manor's great hall, the soiree was already in full swing. Everywhere they looked, the crème de la crème of Lux's nobility and socialites were either mingling or dancing to the small orchestra playing classical music on stage and waiters wandered about with drinks and finger food. Ursula felt out of her depth at once and her jittery hands balled up into nervous fists. It did not help that they had become the centre of attention as people stopped to greet Vega and the gathered nobles cleared a path for the striking red pair.

While they paused so someone could congratulate Vega on her miraculous survival and return to Lux after the battle at Arcturus, Ursula tried to get her bearings in what was an alien world to the modest daughter of House Roland. She tried to shrink into herself if that were possible but the many gazes flying her way told the woman it was a futile effort. Amongst the curious stares, however, were dagger-like glares and she found they belonged to a clique of fashionably dressed young women.

Vega's fan club, Ursula surmised, who appeared none too pleased that their idol had walked into the soiree with an unknown woman. As soon as Vega was finished speaking, the clique swarmed them like a hive of noisy bees, flirting with the Scarlet Wolf and grabbing at her arms as they tried to separate her from the interloper.

"Girls, girls, please," Vega chided them with a soft chuckle although it was obvious she was enjoying the attention. "My apologies, Ursula. I'll be right back… after I discipline these unruly minxes."

The minxes in question squealed gleefully at the prospect and Vega herded them off towards an open table, leaving Ursula all alone. Unaware she was pouting, Ursula scared one of the waiters when she snatched some finger food from his plate and began nibbling on them with a vengeance. Once the sugary treat – a delicious vanilla slice, if her tastebuds were correct – had eased her anger, the spurned woman found herself admiring the great hall.

Aurelia Manor was famous for its great hall and Ursula could see why. The wondrous chamber of chiselled white marble was immense – it dwarfed the small hall at Roland Manor which had last held a party generations ago – and fantastic reliefs of gods and goddesses decorated its high ceiling from which hung a glittering crystal chandelier. The reliefs continued down the walls of the room and formed sculpted pillars with wolves on top of them, each in a different pose and holding a light fixture in its jaws. In between the pillars were a dozen pairs of red velvet curtains which had been drawn back to reveal an equal number of arched, window-like French doors. Several of the tall, glass-paned double doors which had been unlatched led outside to the stone veranda surrounding the great hall where more guests had assembled to take a break from the soiree while admiring the night sky.

Back inside the hall, revellers danced on the polished marble floor of chequered black and white tiles while the orchestra played nonstop. Those not dancing or resting their legs milled around the sides of the room where round tables and chairs had been organised for sitting. Also lining the hall was a mountainous buffet of homestyle dishes and exotic cuisines which had to be constantly replenished by the manor's industrious kitchen. Seeing all the nobles dressed in their finest, some of whom she recognised from television or the tabloids, Ursula was glad she had changed out of her uniform – especially when she saw the professional photographer Vega had mentioned making the rounds with his assistant.

"_Magnifique! _Come, Christina! There is still much beauty we must capture!"

"Right away, Andre!"

The odd, lanky man with the camera passed by with his redheaded assistant on his heels and Ursula stepped out of her hiding place in the crowd with a sigh of relief. Reminded of how unbalanced she felt in heels without Vega's arm providing support, she considered sitting down but was too shy to intrude on any of the occupied tables especially since there was no one she recognised.

"Good evening, milady. Can I offer you a drink?"

Ursula heard a man's voice speak from behind her and prayed he wasn't talking to her. After reshaping her grimace into a pleasant smile, she slowly turned around only for her jaw to drop when she saw who it was.

"…Luke?"

The perplexed man in the dapper suit holding two drinks regarded Ursula with a vacant stare as he tried to place her before his eyes fell out of their sockets.

"C-Captain…?!" Luke cried and appeared to mouth a curse word before his pale features turned apologetic. "I… I didn't recognise you…"

"I know," Ursula bluntly replied and snatched one of the drinks off his hands. While she sipped hers, Luke downed his all at once.

"Luke! There you are!" an irritated voice caused the man in question to flinch, and a girl no more than twelve years old who was wearing a pink dress appeared with her hands on her hips. "You're not trying to hit on more women, are you?"

The raven-haired girl with long twintails and a fiery stare pinched the taller man on his buttocks, and the resemblance between the pair did not go unnoticed by Ursula.

"My spoiled little sister, Eliza Valorie," Luke introduced Ursula to the girl thumping him with her fist while keeping a straight face. "Eliza, this is my superior in the Space Wolves I was telling you about, Captain Ursula Roland. _Remember?_"

"C-Captain Roland?!" Reacting like a perfect copy of her pale brother only seconds ago, Eliza's gaze widened at the sight of Ursula who raised a curious eyebrow as the younger Valorie performed a hasty curtsy. "I-It's a pleasure to meet you, captain. My brother has only had cruel… kind things to say about you…"

"Oh, really?" Ursula pointedly glared at Luke who avoided eye contact and quickly replaced his empty glass with a full one from a passing waiter.

"I… I know he can be a layabout but I hope he doesn't trouble you too much, captain…"

"Well, it's difficult for your brother to trouble me when he is often nowhere to be found…" the woman gave Luke another scowl before she sighed and took pity on his sister. "…And Ursula is fine. House Valorie has a much higher status than House Roland so you needn't be so formal, Miss Eliza."

"Then… Miss Ursula?" Eliza breathed with relief and finally smiled. "You're different from what I imagined…. I knew I shouldn't have believed my brother!"

"Sounds like we both have it tough," Ursula nodded in understanding before her eyes took on a vengeful glint. "Oh… and he _was_ hitting on me."

While Eliza set upon her brother with punishing pinches and body slaps, Ursula sipped her champagne and enjoyed the show.

"I didn't recognise her, alright?!" Luke blurted in his defence as he endured his punishment. "The captain doesn't usually dress like… like this!"

"Is that how you compliment a lady?!" Eliza snapped and gave her brother one final slap on the arm before turning back to Ursula with the sweetest smile on her face. "You look wonderful, Miss Ursula!"

"Why, thank you, Miss Eliza," Ursula nodded in return. "And I think that pink dress makes you look adorable."

The flattery delighted Eliza enough that she cupped her cheeks and began talking nonstop about her dress, during which Luke took the chance to take a step closer to Ursula.

"Never expected to see you here," he stated the obvious while pretending to pay attention to his sister. "I thought these aristocratic get-togethers weren't your thing, captain."

"They aren't… but it was the first time Major Aurelia ever sent me an invitation so I thought I should at least show up," Ursula rolled out her prepared excuse but it sounded false now that she was wearing her elegant ball gown and Luke raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Come to think of it, you don't even like these parties either."

"I don't… but someone found the invitation and begged me to take her," Luke explained with mock annoyance as he stared at his little sister and Ursula noticed the pilot's usually untidy locks had been gelled back for once. "Now that you mention it, we're pretty much the only members of the nobility in the Space Wolves whom Major Aurelia could send invitations to. I'm sure she would invite the entire squadron if she could but… I believe the experience would be far too overwhelming for most of them, to say the least."

"No kidding…" Ursula agreed and took another sip of her glass as they watched Lux's nobility dance in the latest fashions without a care in the world. The class-conscious Pavel would probably have a heart attack if he were here, leaving Ursula to babysit a wild-eyed and etiquette-ignorant Charlotte.

"So… where's Lady Vega?" a doe-eyed Eliza asked and looked around the room while fixing her hair, reminding Ursula of a certain blonde protégé.

"Well, the last I saw of her she was enjoying the attention of her female fans…" Ursula curtly informed them and her apparent irritation did not go unnoticed by the Valorie siblings.

"Ah, there you are!" a familiar voice caught their attention and they found Vega swaggering towards them with hand on hip and her usual charismatic smile. "I see you've managed to find each other despite the festivities. Wait, where are my manners? Welcome to House Aurelia's annual winter soiree, where you can dance and make merry to your heart's content! Well? Are you having an enchanted evening?"

"Oh, just smashing, major. It's been one miracle after another," Luke grinned with tongue in cheek before he admired his host's red suit. "And may I also say you're looking quite dashing as always?"

Vega let out a hearty laugh.

"You don't clean up too badly yourself, lieutenant," she returned the compliment with a nod before noticing the girl by Luke's side who was completely hypnotised by the Scarlet Wolf's presence. "Oh? And who is this adorable creature?"

Eliza took a moment to realise that _the_ Vega Aurelia was speaking to her before the stars in her widening eyes faded and she began to stutter uncontrollably.

"I… I'm… Eliza Valorie… L-Luke's sister!" she uncharacteristically stammered.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Eliza Valorie," the suave Vega responded by taking Eliza's hand and kissing it, and as the poor girl flushed to her ears it looked like she was close to swooning. "Vega Aurelia, at your service."

"I… I know! I'm a big, big fan of yours, Lady Vega!" the awestruck Eliza blurted out after finally finding her voice before falling solemnly silent. "My… My brother told me what happened during the month you were all missing. He told me how you saved your entire squadron on Arcturus and led them home. I know he's a pain, but… but we were so relieved when we heard Luke was still alive… so thank you for bringing my big brother home, Lady Vega…"

Eliza had begun to sob as she spoke but bravely finished what she had wanted to say before succumbing to her tears. While keeping a tight hold on Luke's sleeve with one hand as if she was afraid he would suddenly disappear, she clumsily reached for her handkerchief with the other only to find Vega offering her own. Stunned, Eliza could only stand there as the noblewoman kneeled and gently dabbed her wet cheeks.

"Do not cry, little Eliza…" she smiled, drying her tears. "I only did what any squad leader would… but if I had known Luke had such a cute little sister I would have delivered him back to you much sooner. Perhaps I could have spared you these tears that spoil such a pretty face..."

As Vega worked her charm, Eliza's entire face heated up like a boiling kettle and steam almost whistled out her ears. The girl scurried behind her brother and grabbed the jacket of his suit, holding him in place so she could hide from the Scarlet Wolf's bewitching gaze.

"E-Eliza?! What are you doing?"

"Quiet, stupid bro! I… I can't let Lady Vega see me in this state!"

From the sounds of heavy breathing and squealing coming from behind the older Valorie, Eliza was flitting between embarrassment and starstruck rapture. Ursula thought she could hear the phrases 'Oh my god, Lady Vega called me pretty!', 'Oh my god, I'm never washing this hand again!' and 'This was so worth tagging along with you, stupid bro!' on repeat. The younger Valorie was certainly a fan but Ursula couldn't hold it against her as she had a younger sister who was also crazy about the Scarlet Wolf.

"Oh my… Adorable, isn't she?" a chuckling Vega whispered to Ursula who recalled she was meant to be angry at her superior and tossed her head to the side. "Ursula? Oh… could it be you're angry I left you all alone?"

"Not at all. I'm sure you prefer the company of your rabid fans anyway…" Ursula pouted, not even bothering to look at Vega.

"Oh, my dear Ursula…" Vega shook her head. "You misunderstand. I was trying to spare your feelings. Those 'rabid fans' as you call them can be terribly cruel to those they don't approve of, you see…"

"Oh… then… you were thinking of me?" Ursula ventured, her tone softening.

"The entire time…" Vega whispered and leaned in so she could place a soothing hand on the reddening subordinate's back. "It took all my strength not to push them away so I could come back to be with you…"

"She's good…" a spellbound Eliza muttered, peeking out from behind Luke's back just as Ursula turned into a useless pile of pink mush.

"What did I tell you?" Luke smirked, and wished Charlotte was here to add to the fireworks. Perhaps he should inform her later?

"Milady, your drinks as requested."

A voice announced itself from behind the bewildered Valories who parted in fright to reveal the ever-smiling Dorothy carrying a tray of drinks.

"Ah, Dorothy. Excellent!" Vega grinned and Dorothy took their empty glasses while handing out the fresh drinks. "It's a few weeks overdue but I thought we could have a toast to celebrate our survival and safe return to Lux."

"But… I'm not old enough to drink," said Eliza, sniffing her glass.

"I took the liberty to fill your glass with root beer, Lady Eliza," Dorothy informed the pleasantly surprised girl with a smile. "Your favourite, if I am not mistaken."

An impressed Ursula wondered if there was anything Dorothy didn't know… and, as if reading her mind, the maid glanced her way and giggled as the pilot almost dropped her drink.

"Then, without further ado," Vega began and raised her glass of red wine before looking at each of her friends in turn. "To our continued good health, good fortunes… and everlasting smiles."

The gaze of the gracious host settled on Eliza last who blushed profusely as they all touched their glasses together with a resonating clink. The group then downed their drinks at the same time and, as expected, Vega savoured her red wine the longest in her euphoric, drawn-out manner – much more than usual, even. After drinking the last of her precious supply on Arcturus and subsequently being forced to go cold turkey for almost a month, it appeared Vega was now treasuring every drop that passed her lips.

"Oh, sweet ambrosia… What would I do without you?" she finally released the bowled rim from her lips and crooned before noticing a familiar figure through the glass. "Ah, father! Good timing."

Ursula immediately put her glass down and straightened upon hearing Lord Aurelia himself was near. Following Vega's gaze, she saw a tall and lean nobleman with white, parted hair approaching them. Despite the walking stick in his hand, he still cut a commanding figure, proving that while he might be past his physical prime he was not as elderly or frail as he seemed. His sharp facial features and pale eyes in particular reminded Ursula of a highly disciplined veteran soldier who guarded their emotions at all times. Finally, if there was still any doubt this was one of the most powerful men in the empire, the wolf crest on his grey suit and the silver wolf's head forming the handle of his walking stick made it clear this was Lord Aurelia – Vega's father.

"Father, allow me to introduce you to my subordinates from the Space Wolves; this is Captain Ursula Roland and this is Lieutenant Luke Valorie," said Vega, gesturing to Ursula and Luke who bowed their heads on cue. "And this adorable little creature is the lieutenant's sister, Eliza Valorie."

While Eliza kept her head bowed to hide her heavy blush, the others withstood the intense scrutiny of Lord Aurelia's pale eyes. It was far from the chilling experience of General Cypher's dead stare but they did feel as if they were being dissected and categorised.

"…Space Wolves, eh?" Lord Aurelia finally spoke, revealing a deep and humourless voice. "I've read the reports about what happened on Arcturus; you have quite the luck. But then again, anyone who willingly follows my fool of a daughter around must have it in spades…"

"Father!" Vega simply chuckled at his words but the others had a more mystified reaction. Had Lord Aurelia just insulted them?

"I see age hasn't softened your thorny tongue, Felix," a sonorous voice interrupted them and a familiar reed-like figure with a curled moustache stepped out from behind Lord Aurelia. "Don't mind the duke; he's not one for compliments. I believe he was congratulating the Space Wolves on your safe return and… praising your loyalty to his only daughter?"

"C-Commodore?" Ursula and Luke exclaimed, and the captain of the Blue Crow who had exchanged his uniform for a blue suit and bowtie smiled at them in response.

"Thank you, Fox. I don't recall hiring a translator but it relieves me to know a second and brilliant career is open to you once LIRA finally retires your old hide," Lord Aurelia informed Jonas with what seemed to be the utmost courtesy… except his words were laced with faint, almost undetectable sarcasm.

"Forgive me, my lord, but I'd sooner throw myself into a raging supernova than slave away under your thumb for the rest of my days, if that is what you just implied," Jonas shot back with equal scorn and jest, and the two men considered each other like old sparring partners.

Ursula and Luke were so stunned they could only look on with their jaws unhinged. They knew Sparrhorn was an old acquaintance of House Aurelia but could never have imagined he was this close to the family – enough to be on a first-name basis with Lord Aurelia himself. Judging by their sharp-tongued rapport, the two men had a history and, despite their barbs, were more than comfortable in each other's presence. Although one was a duke and the other a commoner, it was almost as if they were old friends.

"Commodore! I didn't realise you would be coming to our little soiree," said Vega, accepting his presence much more calmly than the others as more drinks were provided by an elderly butler.

"Of course I came. Wouldn't miss it for the world," Jonas told her before raising his glass to the others. "House Aurelia's soirees are famous for good reason so enjoy it like there's no tomorrow!"

"Y-Yes, sir," Ursula and Luke replied out of habit, almost saluting the commodore who downed his drink with gusto.

"Oh, that reminds me. We were just talking about you before this, Vega…"

"Yes," Lord Aurelia confirmed with Jonas. "We happened to meet a mutual friend of yours…"

"A mutual friend?"

Vega paused in her drinking, cocked her head and wondered who they could be speaking of. She received her answer in the form of a heavy-set man who forced his way into the group with the subtlety of a meteorite. His barrel chest was so broad even Pavel could not compare and he towered over most in the hall. When they craned their necks back to look at his face, they found stern eyes and a thick handlebar moustache that rivalled Sparrhorn's. But what astonished them most was the man's LIRA uniform which was black with green scales – the colours of the Imperial Guard.

"Oh my goodness…" Vega whispered and the eyes of her mask appeared to light up as she gave her glass to Dorothy to hold so she could spread her arms out in a warm greeting. "If it isn't my old squad leader, Captain Alistair Wallace! No, excuse me… Colonel Wallace. It's been far too long."

"Vega Aurelia…" Wallace growled like she was the last person on Lux he wanted to see. "I'm sorry to say, major, but it hasn't been long enough… at least for me."

"Is that your way of saying you missed me?"

"No! Gods…! This is why I didn't want to come…"

While Vega laughed at her former commander's expense like five years hadn't passed at all, Ursula and Luke huddled for an emergency meeting.

"Is that… Breaker Wallace?" Ursula whispered, staring at the man like she had seen a legend in the flesh. "I thought he was retired?"

"Me too. After years of breaking in new pilot recruits fresh out of the academy, they say the major was the one who finally made Breaker Wallace consider retirement…" said Luke, repeating the well-known story for the benefit of his sister. "But now he's part of the Imperial Guard… and a colonel. That's pretty remarkable for a commoner."

"Ah, colonel, allow me to introduce you to some of my fellow Space Wolves," Vega suddenly walked over to them and brought Wallace with her. "You can be sure I've been instilling them with the same harsh instruction and valuable discipline that you taught me all those years ago."

"Rubbish, Vega! You never learned anything from me you didn't immediately toss into space!" Wallace barked and cast his eyes upon Luke and Ursula who both tried not to wilt under the colonel's steely gaze as they saluted. "Ah, but what madness is this? Unlike their rascal of a commander, these do appear to be model soldiers! Lieutenant Luke Valorie and Captain Ursula Roland, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yes, sir," Luke replied, lowering his salute with surprise. "How did you know?"

"I've worked alongside your brother in the Imperial Guard on occasion. Good sort, always obeys orders and never complains."

"Oh, my much more talented and handsome older brother… Of course," Luke's voice took on a sardonic tone and he chuckled before finishing off his glass.

"And as for Captain Roland… I knew your father."

"You knew my father?" Ursula echoed with interest and the large man nodded.

"I trained him. Talented pilot and officer. A real leader. Shame what happened to him in 296…" Wallace lamented with a distant look and sipped his drink before addressing Ursula again. "If he knew his daughter had followed in his footsteps to become a pilot just like him… He'd be proud."

"Thank you, colonel…" Ursula smiled, almost lost for words but also feeling warmth at the memory of her beloved father. "That's kind of you to say."

"I mean it. I've kept an eye on your record, captain. Impeccable. Accomplished. Not to mention you've managed to put up with this oddball for the last three years…" Wallace cast an irritated glance at Vega who grinned as if she had just been complimented. "If you ask me, you should get a medal just for that… and a transfer. You'll probably rise higher in the ranks on your own. And live longer. Trust me."

"Oh no, colonel. Ursula isn't going anywhere; I need her. She is indispensable to the everyday workings of the Space Wolves," Vega haughtily pronounced and made her point by wrapping an arm around her blushing subordinate. "But speaking of promotions, congratulations on yours – a colonel in the Imperial Guard! Unless my memory betrays me, last we spoke I thought you were retiring. How did this come to be?"

"Don't play dumb, Aurelia! You know damn well how this came to be!" Wallace growled but held his tongue when he saw Sparrhorn and Lord Aurelia watching on with amusement. "Five years ago, just when I had all my paperwork in order to leave my military career behind, I received a royal notice informing me of my immediate induction into the Imperial Guard. Can you imagine my shock? I went from dreaming of a carefree, happy retirement to contemplating even more years of babysitting brats and greenhorns in only a matter of seconds…"

"But… you accepted?" Luke hazarded a guess.

"…Of course. I couldn't pass up the salary," Wallace replied matter-of-factly. "Paid for my new house. Plus, as it turned out, after a few promotions I mostly just push pencils. Not as strenuous as drilling the younger guards and keeping them battle-ready, which seems to be why they hired me in the first place, but my blood pressure has never been better."

"My, what a heartwarming story. It almost makes me regret rejecting that position in the Imperial Guard earlier this year… Imagine, colonel; we could have been working together again. Just like the old days!" Vega grinned with excitement at the prospect while her former commander appeared to physically recoil and his moustache bristled at the mere idea. "Still, whatever could I possibly have to do with your good fortune?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Wallace grunted and glanced towards Lord Aurelia. "There's no way a commoner got into the Imperial Guard without being recommended by a noble house, let alone promoted. Likely, a house with close ties to the Imperial Family has been supporting me..."

"As an officer in LIRA with a commoner background who was sponsored by a noble house myself, this is quite a credible tale," Sparrhorn agreed and turned to Lord Aurelia with a pointed look. "Well, what do you have to say to that, my lord?"

"I may have mentioned the then Captain Wallace's name to the emperor or the head of the Imperial Guard on occasion but I honestly do not remember," Lord Aurelia brushed off the insinuation with his stony expression before raising his glass to the colonel. "Still, I'm sure both your induction and meteoric rise in the Guard was all due to your own achievements, colonel. Any noble house seeking to support you would find they did not need to do much at all... Not like this stray fox we picked up."

"Now just a second, my lord," an indignant Sparrhorn intervened. "I may have been young at the time but I was no stray. In fact, though it may be hard for you to admit, I'm one of the greatest investments House Aurelia has ever made."

"Greatest investment? Perhaps you forget, Fox, but I seem to recall having to cover your sorry behind on more than one occasion…"

The old men argued like children and never noticed as Wallace raised his glass to Lord Aurelia in silent gratitude.

"Now if only Pavel could get promoted…" he muttered.

"You know Lieutenant Ivanov as well?" Ursula asked.

"I trained him too. He should be a major by now if not for his low birth. How is he?"

"Still flying Wargs like a papa bear, sir," Luke answered. "He looks out for everyone in the squad – especially this one pipsqueak cub who sometimes gets in over her head."

"Hah! That sounds like Pavel!"

While Wallace roared with laughter and told Ursula, Luke and his sister old stories about Pavel, Vega interrupted her father and Sparrhorn before they made a scene.

"Father, you never told me Colonel Wallace had been invited to the soiree," she said with mock admonishment. "What a pleasant surprise."

"I didn't invite him," Lord Aurelia bluntly told his daughter. "The colonel is here on Imperial Guard business."

"Unofficial business," Sparrhorn added, wriggling his bushy eyebrows. "I believe he has a letter... addressed to you."

"To me?" a genuinely puzzled Vega repeated, but before she could ask for details the peaceful atmosphere of the soiree was disturbed by the voracious barking of Sirius.

"N-No! Bad dog! Get back! B-Back, I say!"

Recognising that snobbish voice anywhere, Vega turned to find Narick Ambion cowering in the doorway as Sirius prevented him from entering the great hall. The blonde scion wore a white suit fitted with gold buttons befitting his vainglorious nature and he might have cut a relatively dashing figure if his expression wasn't twisted with wide-eyed terror. His date, a long-legged blonde in a blue dress, had somehow escaped Sirius' ire and watched with concern inside the hall as the wolf-like hound threatened to tear Narick to pieces with his gnashing fangs. The comical spectacle had Vega covering her mouth to avoid rude laughter but when she removed her hand her red lips were still greatly curved with pleasure.

"Who invited him?" she asked, keeping her question brief to avoid choking with laughter again. If Vega had known Narick was coming, she would have prepared some kind humiliating prank to welcome him … but this was simply marvellous too.

"Your mother always sent an invitation to the Ambions out of courtesy… So I did," said Lord Aurelia and even his emotionless face had a hint of delight at witnessing the misfortune of an Ambion. "Not that they've ever responded… Until now."

After savouring the sight of Narick in distress a moment longer with a glass of red wine, Vega sighed before she strode in and restrained Sirius by the collar.

"Sirius! Is that how you welcome one of our guests? For shame!" she chided the whining wolf at first only to kneel down so she could whisper into his flattened ear. "Good boy, Sirius; just like I taught you. There's a treat waiting for you in the kitchen."

Standing back up, Vega handed Sirius off to Dorothy who walked the dog out though one of the open French doors. From afar, Ursula could have sworn she heard Dorothy tell the pet 'Well done, the mistress was so pleased' and that Sirius had a proud bearing to his canine gait. With the commotion over, the soiree went back to normal and, after straightening out his suit and hair, Narick finally strode into the hall with his date on his arm.

"Narick, welcome to the House Aurelia's soiree," Vega greeted him with a smile that suggested she was barely suppressing a laugh at his expense. "You must excuse Sirius. I don't know what came over him…"

"That mutt has always had it in for me! He should be put down!" Narick growled and didn't believe Vega's innocent apology for a second. "You're lucky that mongrel didn't bite me or… or worse!"

"Oh, Sirius would never harm anyone. Especially not the famed survivor of Arcturus," said Vega with an esteemed tone that sounded almost genuine and the subject matter caused Narick to visibly flinch. "I must say, on my return to Lux I was startled to discover you had become a national hero… and that rumours of my death had been greatly exaggerated. Whatever did you tell everyone?"

"I… I was misquoted!" a sweating Narick faltered and struggled to find a convincing explanation. "Those damned journalists, spinning my words just so they could get a front page story… It's their fault, not mine!"

"Is that so? Well, those articles had taste at least. I especially love the _lie_ about my supposed final moments, where I melodramatically handed over the mantle of Lux's ace to you before dying a fiery death," Vega recounted and smiled as she watched the nobleman's face turn ever paler. "Oh, but… now that everyone knows I'm alive, does that put a spoke in the legend of Narick Ambion, Hero of Arcturus? You must be under terrible scrutiny from those vultures in the media."

"Well, yes… I mean, yes! It's like they want to blame me for all the falsehoods they wrote. If they had any honour, they'd take responsibility for their own blunders!" Narick declared with a straight face and gritted his teeth as he reluctantly went on. "Of course, I tell them to report on your… miraculous… survival instead. That they should be focusing on the good news stories and it is just… wonderful… to have you back. But these tabloid publications are relentless… They're dragging my good name through the mud!"

"My, how… awful," Vega crooned with sympathy even as she celebrated underneath her facade.

Of course, Vega knew all too well the hit Narick Ambion had taken to his reputation because she had arranged most of it. Immediately upon hearing the nobleman's tall tales about his achievements on Arcturus which had only been amplified by LIRA's propaganda machine to distract the populace from their devastating loss at the planet, she had used House Aurelia's contacts in the media industry to counter his story with her own true tale of survival and heroism. The Scarlet Wolf's interviews went viral and the results were near instantaneous. Narick was deemed a boldfaced liar and scrutiny turned to his previous claims of valour. Vega, meanwhile, took back her throne as Lux's beloved national hero and ace, and the people rejoiced at her survival and homecoming.

Last the daughter of House Aurelia had heard, Narick was lying low at his estate to avoid the media scrum following him around. Being homebound and restless as well as having temporally become persona non grata to other noble houses, he had probably seen the invitation to House Aurelia's soiree and decided to swallow his pride for an enjoyable night out. Despite the whispers already going around the great hall about the arrival of the 'liar Ambion', Vega was sure the overconfident scion would barely notice and turned her attention instead to his date.

"And who is this extraordinary creature? I thought I knew all the beauties on Lux," Vega unleashed her honeyed tongue before she kneeled and kissed the blushing woman's hand. "Perhaps you could save a dance for me? Later?"

"Oh no, Aurelia!" Narick cut in and tore his date away from the female Casanova. "Not this time! Now, if you'll excuse us, I believe a spot just opened up on the dance floor."

Narick marched off with his bemused date in tow whose amorous gaze lingered on Vega before she secretly blew a kiss which the masked woman deftly caught. Watching on from afar, Ursula found herself frowning with disapproval and took a large swill of her glass. She never noticed the elderly gentlemen that had crept up to her side until he spoke.

"Handful, isn't she?" said Lord Aurelia and gestured to his daughter with his walking stick. "Hard to believe she was so obedient as a child. It must be a full-time job – being the Scarlet Wolf's second, that is."

Ursula froze, unsure whether to agree or not, and all she could manage was a feeble answer. "Er… Yes, my lord?"

She watched Lord Aurelia's face closely and held her breath as he emitted a low grunt. When she realised that was the stony-faced duke's rendition of a chuckle, her taut features relaxed.

"I appreciate your honesty, captain. I know that my daughter chose you because she values your frank character," he said and finally turned to look her directly in the eye. "I hope you can continue to be her friend far into the future."

The pale grey orbs of Duke Aurelia should have radiated power and authority befitting one of the most powerful men on Lux, but what Ursula found was the soft gaze of a father wishing for his daughter's safety. She was a little taken aback by the request at first, being the mere daughter of a baron, but nodded firmly in response and had the sense she was swearing a heavy oath. Despite that, however, she did not feel herself regretting it.

"Getting along, are we?" Vega suddenly joined them and there was a glint of humour coming from the eyes of her mask. "Although I believe Ursula is a bit young for you, father."

Less than amused, Lord Aurelia grunted again and turned to Ursula just as the exasperated woman finished rolling her eyes at her commander.

"I remember raising a wolf but I don't remember giving her that barbed tongue… She must get it from her mother," he remarked, completely ignoring Vega and making her wait before addressing her. "You have a fine friend in Captain Roland, Vega. I would advise you to hold on to her."

"Oh, don't worry, father. I fully intend to do just that…" Vega smiled and, upon hearing the orchestra start up again with a new song, seized Ursula by the hand. "Come, my dear Ursula. You must dance with me!"

"What? B-But…"

"No buts! I have been waiting all night to ask you!"

Before Ursula could protest further, she found her glass had been snatched away by a smiling Dorothy and Vega guided her to the dance floor without resistance. Finding herself hand-in-hand with the famed daughter of House Aurelia, the dark brunette blushed as they passed the other guests and drew their attention, including that of an amused Luke and his envious sister Eliza. They also passed Sparrhorn and Wallace who were deep in conversation, and Ursula recalled then that she had a request for the imperial guard.

"Oh, Colonel Wallace? I would love to hear more about my father – if you could spare a moment later!" she managed to blurt out before she was pulled from their sight.

"It would be my pleasure," Wallace replied, shaking his head alongside Sparrhorn as they watched Ursula get whisked away by a red wolf.

The pair weaved through the maze of other dancers on the floor until Vega found an open spot in the middle and she finally turned around. In one smooth motion, she put her right hand around Ursula's back and grasped her other hand, smiling when the startled woman cried out. Knowing Vega was taking pleasure in her unease, Ursula pursed her lips before placing her own hand around the taller woman and they began to dance.

They waltzed to the music in their matching red attire and the skirt of Ursula's ball gown billowed like she was floating. The other dancers and guests found their gazes drawn to the beautiful couple, including that of the Scarlet Wolf's green-eyed fan club who were biting into their handkerchiefs out of spite. However, Ursula barely noticed the attention and it was as if the pair were in their own little world.

"You dance well," Vega whispered a compliment into her ear as they twirled.

"M-My mother taught me the basic steps before I left," said Ursula, praying Vega wouldn't hear her pounding heart. The major was so close as they danced that just an inch more and their bodies would be pressed together.

"That reminds me, I did promise to visit and see your siblings," Vega murmured, growing reattached to the idea. "And now I must give my regards to Lady Roland for raising such a talented daughter…"

"Thank you, but there's already enough scarlet fans in House Roland without you converting my mother too," Ursula sighed while matching Vega's movements, developing more confidence with each step. She also noted with a raised eyebrow that her dance partner knew the man's steps perfectly.

"Oh my, so you've seen through my wicked plan," Vega chuckled with a throaty hum which somehow sent electricity coursing through Ursula's body. "The moment I secure Lady Roland, the entire house of bears would be in my palm."

"Really now... W-Wait, the entire house?" the eldest daughter of House Roland exclaimed, almost stumbling. "A-Aren't you getting ahead of yourself, assuming I'm one of your f-fans?"

"Am I wrong?" Vega innocently cocked her head and asked. "Do you… dislike me?"

The question caught Ursula off guard and she fumbled for an answer. No matter what reply the flustered woman thought of, it felt unfair and she was sure Vega was toying with her as usual. But feeling the noblewoman's expectant gaze from behind her mask, Ursula's sincerity won through and she settled on her answer.

"…I don't dislike you," she whispered, unable to make eye contact.

A wide smile spread across Vega's cheeks and she began to laugh. Like a child overcome by happiness, she increased her pace and almost carried Ursula away as they waltzed like a jubilant storm. Ursula cried out as the room began to spin but followed Vega's lead and before long even the captain was giggling. When their steps finally slowed back down to a more normal pace, the embarrassed brunette coughed and reset to her straightlaced expression only to find her partner staring intently at her.

"Are you free next week?" Vega suddenly asked.

"I… I might be," Ursula stuttered, wondering why her heart just jumped. "W-Why do you ask?"

"I just received an interesting message from Colonel Wallace asking for my presence," Vega explained nonchalantly. "Apparently I have an admirer."

"…Eh?"

Ursula's mind went blank but her body continued to dance like a red rose twirling amongst the other flowers of the soiree. Even the enchanting orchestra music which ebbed and flowed as it filled the great hall with its ringing notes could not wake her. If she had, as Ursula learned later, she might have noticed the constant barrage of camera flashes aimed her way.

.

* * *

.

Dragnel, the capital of Lux, held not only the distinction of being the seat of power in the empire but also the privilege of being where the Serpentine Imperial Family had established their royal residence. The magnificence of Dragnel Castle, high up on a lone mountain, could be admired from everywhere in the city and as such the metropolis had been constructed with a splendour befitting the royal capital. Surrounding the base of the mountain, the shiny, modern skyscrapers of the business district gave way to a sprawl of compact suburban housing which stretched all the way to the edge of the city. Forests, meadows and creeks in turn spouted within the suburbs and on its borders, and the rare plots of nature existed almost exclusively on the private land of nobles.

Encompassing the entirety of Dragnel was a giant dome so high and large it was almost invisible from the inside. The cutting-edge material which made up the dome – transparent enough for sunlight to pass through but strong enough to weather the harsh storms of Lux – allowed the city to keep oxygen levels stable and control their climate to a degree. Without the domes, the Luxites and their key cities would be ravaged by the planet's unforgiving landscape which had killed so many of their ancestors. In its natural form, Lux was a wasteland unfit for human colonization with noxious gases that clouded the infertile lowlands and weak sunlight from the system's distant star which bathed the planet in eternal dusk.

Fortunately, not only was the air inside the domes clean and the land bountiful but the glass was also able to reflect and refocus the sun's faint rays. The result was that bright, sunny days could be recreated under the right conditions along with projected images of realistic blue skies and white clouds. For those privileged enough to dwell inside the domes, it was as if they lived in another world and the thought of what went on outside scarcely concerned them.

It was on one of those rare days, when the dome gathered enough light to fashion a bright yellow sun, that Ursula Roland found herself in the business district of Dragnel. The frugal captain wouldn't usually be found in the extravagant area with its high-rise buildings, ritzy restaurants and brand name malls which also made it a popular tourist spot but she had an appointment. Catching her reflection in the window of a nearby boutique, the woman stopped in the busy street to check her appearance.

Lady Roland had assured her daughter the blue fit and flare dress suited her perfectly but Ursula still had her misgivings. Like the red ball gown a week ago, she wasn't used to such finery or showing off so much leg. At least this time the dresses' half-sleeves covered her shoulders and arms, and she wore a more comfortable pair of flat blue shoes. After she adjusted the brown leather belt her mother had added to accentuate her waist, Ursula fiddled with her bangs, never noticing the short, blonde menace approaching her until it was too late.

"Well, someone is all dolled up for a special occasion…"

The familiar caustic voice caused Ursula to whirl around in surprise and she found its owner standing right behind her.

"C-Charlotte…!" she almost yelled but managed to disguise her displeasure in time. The young prodigy had her arms crossed against her white, sleeveless A-line dress and wore long, red striped socks on her legs which were spaced wide apart in a defiant pose. Judging by her disgruntled red stare, the feeling was mutual.

"Oh, I'm sorry, captain… Did I interrupt you?" Charlotte smiled sweetly before the façade fell and she hissed like a viper. "Wouldn't want to get in the way of your… _date_."

"_D-Date?!_" Ursula blushed to her ears. "I am on no such t-thing!"

"Don't lie! Luke told me everything!" Charlotte snarled and whipped out a magazine from her cute little wolf backpack. "You danced with Lady Vega at the soiree and after that you made plans for a secret rendezvous! You… You thieving cat! Why did Lady Vega invite you and not me?!"

Charlotte stamped her foot and waved the magazine in front of the taller woman's gaze which became absolutely scandalised. Along with countless pictures of Vega at the soiree within its pages, Ursula found herself featured almost as much and an entire spread was devoted to the pair dancing together. Dramatic headlines such as 'Vega's New Mystery Lover!' and 'How Long Will This Fling Last?!' were plastered all over the photo. If that wasn't bad enough, the look on Ursula's face as she danced with Vega had been captured in a close-up shot and some might say she appeared… infatuated.

"_W-W-What the hell is this?!_" the brunette cried, grabbing the magazine and using it to hide her glowing cheeks even as she flipped through it. "T-This… This has _pictures_ of me! A-At the _soiree!_ With _V-V-Vega!_ And everything they're saying is… is…. _WE'RE NOT L-LOVERS!_"

"It's the Lux Daily. Any Vega fan worth their salt knows that," Charlotte smirked with superiority. "They always have articles about Lady Vega and this one sold out in under two hours. Luckily, I bought three copies."

"Wait, the Lux Daily? My mother reads that!" Ursula cried out with horror. "No wonder she's been smiling at me nonstop this whole week…"

"Forget about your mother; what about Lady Vega?!" Charlotte snatched the magazine back and demanded to know. "Is it true you made plans to meet her today? Luke said you were as giddy as a schoolgirl… _You!_"

"First of all, I was _not_ as giddy as a schoolgirl. You really have to stop believing everything Valorie says…" Ursula sighed and made a mental note to slap Luke with even more menial tasks when she next saw him. "And second… Yes, the major did ask me to come out today. But it's probably not what you think…"

Ursula briefly recounted the contents of the letter Colonel Wallace had passed on to Vega and watched as the Scarlet Cub's face turned blue.

"_A secret admirer?!_" Charlotte screamed, her tiny mouth falling open in shock and her eyes bugging out. As expected, she was not taking the news well.

"They said they would wait for Vega at the Venus Hotel and the major asked me to come along," Ursula explained and folded her arms as her gaze fell. "But I suspect she only invited me to be her… camouflage."

"_Camouflage?!_ There's no way anyone would believe Vega's lover is a frumpy woman like you!" Charlotte adamantly declared before making a noise like an angry chipmunk. "Why, Lady Vega?! Why didn't you choose me?!"

"Yes, that would've been more convincing, wouldn't it?" Ursula dryly quipped as she stared at the pouting, child-like figure of the shorter girl while ignoring her 'frumpy' comment. "It's unusual though… I never took Major Aurelia for one who needed assistance to ward off unwanted admirers. It makes me wonder if that letter, passed on by an Imperial Guardsman, was written by someone even she would find difficult to rebuff…"

"Y-You don't mean… _royalty?!_" Charlotte physically reeled back before she got a hold of herself and started shaking her fist in anger. "Who is it? Who dares to sully Lady Vega? Is it that playboy prince? _I'll bite his head off!_"

"Shh! Not so loud!" Ursula chided her, looking around to make sure no one heard them. "Do you want to go to prison? And it's impossible for it to be the prince because he's on deployment."

"A likely story, considering all the wartime secrecy…" Charlotte bit her thumb. "Well, there's only one way to find out. Venus Hotel, did you say?"

The determined blonde strode off on a warpath, leaving Ursula to chase after her and make sure she didn't do anything stupid. Although it was situated on the edge of the district, the towering Venus Hotel was a swanky establishment that almost exclusively served the upper class and the captain was almost certain a lone child would not be allowed entry no matter how cute she might be. When they arrived, however, instead of going inside they skulked out in front of the glass entrance like sleazy paparazzi.

"Why can't we just go inside?" Ursula whispered, shielding her face from curious onlookers.

"And lose the element of surprise? Perish the thought!" Charlotte replied as her red eyes darted about searching for potential unwanted suitors through the glass before locating the object of her affections instead. "Look! It's Lady Vega!"

Ursula repositioned her head on top of Charlotte's and saw the unmistakable figure of Vega sitting on a white sofa in the hotel's reception area. As expected, she was wearing a red designer sweater under a trendy grey winter coat and the pants of her skinny white trousers were tucked into red knee-high boots. In the place of her customary white mask, however, was a pair of aviator sunglasses which covered her eyes with giant, impenetrable mirror lenses the colour of the setting sun.

While no one in the lobby appeared to recognise the Scarlet Wolf without her mask – a fact proven by the lack of frenzied autograph requests – there was still keen interest in the silver-haired woman sitting by her lonesome. With one long leg crossed over the other, Vega passed the time while waiting for her secret admirer by reading a magazine and Ursula thought she spied a tiny smile on her red lips.

"Oh, Lady Vega… She looks marvellous today too…" Charlotte crooned with dazed eyes, completely forgetting why they were there as she started taking covert pictures with her phone.

"Oh god, she's reading the Lux Daily…" Ursula realised with a mortified cringe before she noticed a large party coming out from the elevator. "Wait, is that them?"

Amongst the group was a mysterious figure whose face was hidden by the hood of their long, velvet green cloak which trailed behind them across the carpeted floor. The conspicuous newcomer approached Vega who stood at once and bowed her head to the shorter stranger. Finally, the secret admirer threw back their hood and revealed herself to be a young woman of flawless beauty no older than Ursula's younger sister who was seventeen.

"Red hair and eyes…" the captain murmured in astonishment, watching as the redhead took hold of Vega's hands and smiled. "So the secret admirer is a woman…"

"They're obviously fake! Anyone can dye their hair and wear contacts to match Lady Vega's tastes – to seduce her!" Charlotte growled, almost biting into her fingernails. "You tramp! How dare you touch Lady Vega while I watch! I should storm in there right now and give you a piece of my mind!"

"Wait, why does it feel like I've seen her somewhere before?" Ursula muttered, wracking her brain, and only noticed Charlotte was gone when it was too late. "Charlotte?!"

The Scarlet Cub marched into the Venus Hotel like a woman on a mission and made a beeline for Vega. Like a jealous lover, Charlotte interrupted their conversation by physically getting between the two with her arms outstretched and stared down the surprised admirer with her own fiery red eyes.

"Get away from Lady Vega, you… you hussy! You shameless strumpet!" she began screaming, silencing the entire lobby as heads were turned. "If you think I'll let you work your wicked wiles on Lady Vega, well, you have another thing coming bit–"

Charlotte's colourful tirade only stopped when she found two giant men in black suits had grabbed her by the arms on either side and lifted the shorty into the air. Like a small, wild animal rebelling against its restraints, the outraged girl responded by childishly kicking her legs and calling the men names but they did not let go. When Ursula finally caught up, the bizarre scene had the horrified woman reaching for her face and she met Vega's gaze through her clawed fingers.

"Sorry, major... she followed me," Ursula apologetically whispered over Charlotte's swearing and she would have throttled the blonde if not for the presence of the redhead. Instead, the captain was left shaking her head as she prayed for mercy and her relatively short life flashed before her eyes. "That little idiot… Does she know what she's done...?!"

"Everything will be alright, Ursula. Let me handle this," an amused Vega coolly replied and quickly pacified her thrashing protégé with a smile. "Charlotte, my dear… allow me to introduce you."

Hearing her precious Lady Vega's voice, Charlotte quietened down instantly and watched as the Scarlet Wolf gestured to the redhead in green who looked equally amused by the events.

"This is Her Imperial Highness… Princess Claudia Serpentine."

The news she had grossly insulted a princess took a moment to register, but when it did Charlotte paled and her jaw dropped like a stone. Ursula, having already realised the secret admirer's true identity earlier, groaned as she buried her head in her hands and prayed their punishment would be light. Vega for her part looked totally unconcerned and merely covered her clearly widening grin while Princess Claudia simply smiled, her red eyes appearing to dance as they regarded the three women with playful curiosity.

"…Charmed, I'm sure," the princess finally said with a hint of mischief.

.

**END OF PART A**

* * *

**Author Notes**

Sorry for the delay on this one, I forgot to send my beta the chapter and there were RL issues (on top of all the effort I put into Gemini Fever...). I really wanted to complete the whole episode by Xmas (which is both funny and sad because the episode actually takes place during Lux's end of year holidays) but it looks like this be the last update for this year.

So, to everyone reading, I wish you a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year! Hopefully, I'll see you again at Part B sometime in January 2021!


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